Because Vlad Would've Been There
by MissMeliss4251
Summary: Alternate version of Reality Trip, AKA School's Out. What would happen if Vlad controlled the Reality Gauntlet? Would he finally get Maddie as his wife and Danny as his son?
1. Summer!

**NOTE(S): I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM!**

**2) This story is not connected to my series in any way, shape, or form, so on the off chance that you have read it, Marisa Split doesn't exist, neither does Bob…**

**Summary: This is an alternate version of School's Out, Ghouls Out. What would happen if Vlad controlled the Reality Gauntlet? **

**Danny's Point of View**

**000000000000000000000**

"All systems Go," a voice said through the speaker in my headset. I was strapped into a seat, surrounded by buttons, gadgets and gizmos, ready to blast off in the Space Shuttle towards the Final Frontier. Space.

"Initiate countdown," the same voice said.

"Ten," a southern accented voice began. "Nine, eight, seven, six, five, four, three, two…one."

I heard the sound of the engines, starting to blast me into space.

Then came the alarms.

The all systems failure alarm.

Oh crap.

I blacked out.

And opened my eyes, where I was grounded back on Earth…

And late for the last day of freshman year.

I groaned, resisting the urge to blast the alarm clock into a wall. Instead, I slammed it off, and jumped out of bed.

I threw on my usual. A whit t-shirt with one red dot in the center, jeans, and sneakers. I didn't even bother combing my raven black hair. It wouldn't help, anyway.

Now, if a normal person had gotten up this late, then they would get to school very late and Lancer would keep them after school, and they wouldn't get to see Dumpty Humpty in the school's out concert today.

But I won't be late.

That's because I have thses little things called ghost powers.

I started to transform into my alter ego, from Danny Fenton, fourteen-year-old-nobody to Danny Phantom, ghost superhero.

A bright ring appeared around my waist, splitting into two rings, one moving up my body and the other moving down.

Gone were my normal clothes. In their place was a black lab suit with silver gloves, boots, and my emblem of a 'P' embedded in a 'D'.

I flew through my window and out into the open.

In only a few hours, I would have nothing to worry about for a very long time.

As I flew, a large man poked his head out of a window from a shower.

"Ghost! If you dare show yourself around here again, I, Jack Fenton, will rip you apart, molecule by molecule!"

Oh. Bad mental image.

You can decide for yourself which aspect or aspects of this situation that I mean.

And yes, the large, shouting, fudge obsessed, bad mental image inflicting man is my dad.

Ghost hunting dad, that is. My mom's a ghost hunter, too.

How do you think I got my powers?

Long story short: Danny walks into parents' experimental ghost portal, Danny activates portal, and presto-chango, Super Danny emerges.

"Have a good summer! I won't be seeing you!" I told dad, and flew over the jail and towards Casper High.

As I was flying towards school, a blue mist floated out of my mouth. Meaning that a ghost was most likely going to prevent me from getting to school on time.

"Skulker!" I yelled as the 'Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter' emerged dramatically from nowhere, with his bulky metal high tech suit and flaming hair.

"Hello, whelp. Are you ready for your pelt to adorn my wall?"

"As usual, ew, and no," I told him, blasting an ectoblast at him. "Besides, in a few hours, its summer, and I'll officially have nothing to worry about," he threw a blast at me which I blocked.

"Whatever you say, whelp, whatever you say." I threw another blast at him.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?" he dodged out of the way of the blast.

"Nothing you won't figure out someday," he told me. His statement caught me off guard. What did he mean? Before I could repeat my question, he blasted me against a wall, and departed with a laugh.

What was with that? Skulker didn't try to nail me to a wall?

It must be almost summer, afterall, I guess.

I flew off towards school, officially late for the last day of school.

Lancer was waiting for me outside the school. I flew behind a tree, transformed, and ran up to him.

"Its not summer yet, Mr. Fenton," he told me, leading me inside.

What a great start to summer.

Detention.

0000000000000

Skulker's Point of View

0000000000000

I flew away as a middle-aged, overweight, teacher pulled the whelp into his school.

One of three assignments was finished.

Getting the whelp in trouble was number one on the list, for it would be the most enjoyable.

I headed for the Federal Prison with a long box containing an object involving numbers two and three on the list.

I phased through a wall that my instruments told me was ghost detector-free.

I followed the schematics on my PDA to a specific cell and found what I was looking for.

Freakshow.

Two men-in-white, also known as mock ghost-hunter buffoons appeared to be interrogating him.

I decided to record the conversation.

"Now, we are sure that you have hear of the Reality Gauntlet," Baffoon one said.

"Of course not. Who's that?" Freakshow said quickly. Even the buffoons weren't stupid enough to be fooled.

"Moving on, the Gauntlet was stolen two point five four days ago. Under Accordance B sixty-two Section A, subsection Z and sub-subsection nine hundred eighty-seven, if you showed us how it worked on the time of its return, your record could be cleared of all charges," baffoon two said.

Perfect. I phased invisibly through a wall and into the hall where the man who was charged with updating the buffoons was headed towards the cell, empty-handed and right on time.

I overshadowed him.

I opened the box and retrieved the modified Reality Gauntlet, the red gem of life, the yellow gem of form, and the blue gem of fantasy.

I walked into the cell and placed the Gauntlet on a costom holder. With a nod to the buffoons, I exited the room, only to exit the body and return into the room invisibly.

"Under Protocal Z fifty-two we are required to repeat ourselves. You know of the Reality Gauntlet," it wasn't a question from Buffoon One.

"If I answer yes will I be allowed to be free?"

"Under Accordance B sixty-two section A subsection Z, Sub-Subsection nine hundred eighty-seven, yes," Buffoon two said.

"Then yes," Freakshow said.

"Good. Now what does it do?" Buffoon One asked.

"Nothing unless you have the power source. The red gem is the gem of life. The yellow gem is the gem of form, and the blue gem is the gem of fantasy. May I try it on?"

"Under Law three million, one hundred twenty-nine thousand, eight hundred seventy-six, yes," Buffon two answered.

Freakshow dramatically placed the various gems in their proper places, and with a long winded monologue, took out the power gem and activated the glove.

He immediately put the Buffoons out of commission, and freed the ghost, Lydia.

Just before he escaped out of the cell, I ghost proofed it, trapping Lydia, and therefore Freakshow.

"Before you go wreak havoc, you should know a few things about that glove – and what it does to the wearer," I told him.

"I'm well schooled in the Reality Gauntlet, ghost. Who are you?"

"My name is Skulker! The Ghost Zone's Greatest Hunter! And that one is modified. You are now essentially a puppet of the person who had me modify the glove."

"What?" he asked me.

"He controls what you do with it, and you," I told Freakshow.

"Who?"

"Actually, doesn't 'who' come before 'what'?" I asked him.

"…That's not entertaining," Freakshow said bluntly.

"Who else would modify the glove and have the money to pay me for it?"

"…I don't know," he admitted.

"Vlad Plasmius, of course."

0000000000000

What do you think? Good, bad, ugly?

Please review!


	2. An Exciting Start

Chapter 2

An Exciting Start

I DO NOT OWN DANNY PHANTOM!

**Wow! I didn't think so many people would read and review! Next Update: Next Sunday. I'm going to camp...**

General Point of View

0000000000000000000

"And why does this Plasmius want to control a mere human?" a pasty white, bald, man with red eyes and a strange glove over his hand asked a floating being in a metallic suit.

"You don't know of the great Plasmius?" the floating ghost, who went by Skulker, asked the man with the glove, who simply went by Freakshow.

"No," Freakshow answered.

"His goals are thus. Marry Maddie Fenton and have the whelp – or Daniel Fenton as his apprentice," Skulker responded.

"…Is he supposed to be some sort of super villain? Those are freakish motives. And I'm a good judge of freakish," Freakshow responded with disgust.

"I am not about to argue with you," Skulker, a ghost, answered. He shared a similar opinion of Vlad Plasmius's motives, though he wasn't about to mention that to his employer.

"So explain to me how this works," Freakshow asked Skulker, referring to the modified Reality Gauntlet that was attached to his wrist, and would not come off until the person who was controlling it, Vlad Plasmius, wanted it to.

"Basically," Skulker replied smugly, "you won't even notice. Your subconscious will adapt whatever motives Plasmius tells it to, therefore you wouldn't have known you were being controlled if I hadn't told you."

"…So why tell me?" Freakshow asked him, becoming more confused with each answer. "That doesn't even make any sense!"

"Because Plasmius told me to!" Skulker said, frustrated with so many questions.

"Oh."

"The Gauntlet will also record anything that goes on around you, and it is near impossible to remove. Impossible if Plasmius doesn't want it to come off. Have a good life," Skulker said sarcastically, flying off.

"Great," Freakshow muttered to himself. "I _don't _get to control reality. But I can sure try…" he finished with laughing maniacally.

000000000000

Skulker flew into Vlad Plasmius's castle in Wisconsin and into his lab, where he was waiting for him. Vlad Plasmius also had another form. He was a halfa, or a half human, half ghost hybrid. He, in his human form, was Vlad Masters, the billionaire tycoon. He was currently, though, in his ghost form as Plasmius.

He had a bit of a mock Dracula hairstyle, fangs, and a cape. His red eyes were glowing even more brightly than usual, from the possibility of him reaching his lifetime goals.

"Skulker, do you ever stand back, admire your work, and then exclaim 'I designed that'?" Plasmius asked Skulker, who raised a metallic eyebrow.

"…No…"

"Well you should! This is ingenious! Maddie and Daniel will soon be mine…and then the world!"

"You really should lay off the early celebrations," Skulker told his employer bluntly, trying to cut off his obsessive rant that would quickly turn into a monotonous monologue if he was not careful.

"Honestly, Skulker. It is simply chess, and soon I will hold every single one of the pieces."

"Aren't you worried about someone else – a human – having the glove in his possession?" Skulker asked Plasmius to cut off the same old 'chess' monologue.

"No. The reason I am using Freakshow in the first place is the fact that the one who uses the Gauntlet – whether human or ghost – will eventually cease to exist. Even ghosts can't take being able to control all that power," Vlad answered, annoyed that Skulker would even so much as to _think_ of challenging his judgement.

"Whatever you say, sir," Skulker said. "Anyway, as I am sure you know, I have completed two of the three tasks and am now completing the third by informing you that the whelp believes that because it is summer, all of the ghosts will leave him alone. He doesn't feel that he has any responsibility during the summer."

"Same foolish Daniel. He is going to learn that in the real world, there isn't a big break from what he calls 'responsibility' known as summer vacation. And he will learn that the hard way."

0000000000000

Meanwhile, Sam and Tucker, Danny's two best friends, were rocking to the Casper High School's Out Concert, with Dumpty Humpty.

"I feel sorry for Danny," Sam, as usual dressed in a black skirt and shirt with purple spread around in various places, told Tucker, who was also dressed in his usual yellow shirt, dark pants, beret, and PDA in hand.

"Yeah. Having to think on the first day of summer what Skulker meant," Tucker told her.

"I mean having to stay late with Lancer," Sam told him bluntly.

"Oh…"

Just then, Freakshow decided, or more accurately, Vlad decided that Freakshow should attend the concert.

"Hello, fellow human beings. I am Freakshow! And with this Reality Gauntlet, I will soon be Ringmaster of all Reality!"

As usual, Lydia was floating behind him.

And as usual, the person plotting to control the world, or in this case, reality, caused a mob of screaming teenagers.

"I thought it was _ghosts_ jobs to give the 'I will now rule the Earth' speeches," Tucker said, confused.

"Focus, Tucker!" Sam said, grabbing his PDA from him. She quickly typed in 'Reality Gauntlet' into a search engine and came up with results.

"Listen to this," she told her African American friend, "The Reality Gauntlet enables the wearer to control all reality, while the three specialty gems and power gems are placed in their proper places, and when the gems are activated by being touched in a specific order."

"Wait…what? All reality? Even beautiful technology?" Tucker exclaimed, being typical Tucker.

"Yes. Come on! We've got to try and stop him!" Sam said, running towards Freakshow.

"Why is that when everyone is running _away_ from the bad guy, we have to run _towards_ him?" Tucker shouted at Sam, though still running after her.

"Because we have to do something! Danny's in detention!" Sam yelled.

"And who might you two be…wait…you're Danny Phantom's sidekicks, are you not?" Freakshow asked them. Sam didn't answer, but dove straight for the glove, latching on to Freakshow's arm.

Freakshow shook his arm, causing Sam to be thrown around, and as she was clinging onto the glove for dear life.

As luck, or fate, would have it, as Freakshow was shaking his arm and Sam was holding on, she activated the gems by her hands sliding over them in the specific order.

"Well, that was easy!" Freakshow said, throwing Sam off and into the mob of frenzied teens.

"Sam!" Tucker yelled, running after her. Needless to say, it was just as much as a want to get away from the villain as it was to make sure Sam was alright that Tucker ran after her.

"Now I control all Reality! What should I do first! Oh! I know…" Freakshow said, running off into the center of the stage set up for Dumpty Humpty.

Needless to say, by this time, news helicopters were swarming all around. Some particularly brave camera people from both local and national channels, some who in fact used to be part of the fearless group of reporters known as the paparazzi, who would stop at nothing to get a shot, were actually following Freakshow as he made his way.

They did keep their distance, though, stopping at one side of the stage.

"Now the fun can begin," Freakshow said.

0000000000000


	3. Freak Reveals Freaky Things!

Chapter Three

Freak Reveals Freaky Things

Danny's Point of View

**Hello all! I'm back...and with major computer troubles...the good news is that I had a back up copy of all my stories so I didn't lose them when my computer crashed!**

**You know the drill...**

0000000000000000000000

"Mr. Fenton, just because it will be summer the second I release you from detention, doesn't mean that you should have no cares in the world. You should use your free time from school wisely, and not just spend it 'hanging out'. But I bet all you care about is what you're going to do over the summer."

Mr. Lancer had been lecturing me on responsibility throughout the longest detention of my life.

"I'm a teenager. That's what we do," I told him. "Besides, I'm going to Cape Canaveral, Gothapalooza in Nevada, and a Comic Convention in Hollywood. With my two best friends I should add. Why should I care about 'using my time wisely'?"

"Your sister cares. She is writing her college entry thesis almost two years early for goodness sakes!"

He kept comparing me to my sister, as though everything he was saying wasn't going in one ear and out the other.

"On ghost envy," I told Mr. Lancer, exasperated. I was sitting in the first desk in the middle row of desks while Lancer continued to grill me about responsibility, and patience, understanding, and blah blah blah.

And all the while the ground was shaking from the Dumpty Humpty concert. I was the only kid at Casper high who against free will was being forced to miss it. Jazz was home writing her little thesis.

I'm starting to think that as a child, mom or most likely dad dropped Jazz on her head to go chase ghosts, causing the disorder in her brain that makes her want to go to school and do homework and have responsibility over the summer. Because that is just _not_ natural.

I can see Lancer's mouth moving again. I might as well listen. It is just a bit more interesting than watching that spot on the wall…

" – Yes. A very interesting topic to choose. I wonder why she chose such a topic," he was saying.

"Probably because of me," I mumbled before I could stop myself. "Because of our parents, most likely," I said much more audibly.

I wondered if Jazz actually was envious of ghosts, as Tucker was deep down. I had to admit, I wouldn't blame her if she had ghost envy herself.

But I guess I can write my paper on human envy someday…but that might give me away.

"I can see that…1984! What is that racket?" Lancer exclaimed. He must've been running out of English Literature…at least, I think that wasn't English Literature… I thought it was a year… Anyway, I heard it, too. It was the sound of mass pandemonium caused by a ghost.

"The sound of non-Amity Park residents envy," I told him. He looked at me and I'm sure he would've laughed if not for a mob of crazed teenagers going wild outside in all directions.

"We have to do something!" Lancer yelled as the sounds of news helicopters mingled with the screams.

"Yeah…um…you stay here…I'll run and do absolutely nothing about this. Have a good summer!" I ran out of the door before Lancer could reply.

Sweet freedom!

I skidded around a corner, pulled open the double doors at the end of the hallway opening up into the temporary arena and ran through them. I ran to the edge of the stage.

I immediately spotted Freakshow on the stage, brandishing some sort of weird glove.

I thought that he was locked up in the loony bin! Or at least prison…drat…he must've escaped somehow.

There were at least a dozen news cameras behind him on the opposite side of the stage. Lancer entered the mess by running up behind me. Not to mention all of the kids of my school.

Sam and Tucker seemed to appear out of nowhere and ran up to me.

"The only thing that could be more amusing in this situation is if we had a captive audience…" Freakshow laughed maniacally. What is it with villains and laughing weird? "I know! A _captive_ audience!"

He pressed a red stone on the glove, and the grass came alive.

Mouths opened up from the grass, which turned blood red, and bit down on everyone's legs, including Sam, Tucker, Lancer, the news people, the kids, and me, trapping us all. Ouch. The mouths rotated everyone who wasn't facing me so they could watch 'the show'.

"Hey! I didn't know that grass didn't want to be eaten either!" I said.

"How witty, Danny, you never cease to impress me with your powers of witty – or lack there of – banter," Sam told me sarcastically. Ultra Recyclo Vegetarians would never learn. It would seem that even things without a face didn't want to be eaten.

Let's see…its summer. I'm imprisoned, along with about two thousand others, by mutant grass of all things. My Literature teacher is behind me, Freakshow, one of my enemies who once controlled my mind, is in front of me, and behind him are dozens of news teams, some local, some national, and some global.

I don't know about you, but I don't think that this is shaping up to be a great summer.

"Here we all are, Danny Fenton, for everyone to see what a freak you are," Freakshow said, somehow amplifying his voice.

I winced.

"What is he talking about?" Mr. Lancer asked me, outraged that someone would say a teen was a freak to their face, and on local, national, and global TV.

"What is he talking about?" Tucker and Sam said in unison. Very quickly. The only thing that would make it more obvious that they knew what he was talking about is if they started whistling innocently.

Scratch that. They started whistling, there eyes darting around, not focusing on a target anywhere.

"He is a freak," I heard the popular kids say together.

"This had better boost ratings!" several of the news people said excitedly, and even though they were imprisoned by grass, they were capturing every word on film.

00000000000

General Point of View

00000000000

The three other members of the Fenton family were currently sitting in their kitchen. Jazz was drinking coffee, stressing over her thesis, her mother Maddie was baking cookies, and her father Jack was playing with ghost action figures.

Everything was normal.

Well, for them at least.

"Ugh! Who am I going to use for my thesis? Mom, what did you do your thesis on?" Jazz said in frustration.

"Ectoplasm and the Ghost Zone," her mother answered her, taking some cookies out of the oven and placing them on the cooling rack.

"Cookies!" Jack yelled excitedly.

"Not now, Jack, the Favorable Fudge cookies aren't cool now," Maddie scolded her husband.

"Fudge? I have to have one!" her husband shouted, gulping down a Favorable Fudge cookie, yelling afterwards because of the pain his blistering throat was in.

"What did you do your thesis on, dad?" Jazz asked Jack.

"Fudge!" he said.

"Oh boy," Jazz said sarcastically. "I'm surrounded by ghost hunters, and ghosts, and I have no one to do my thesis on. Wait a minute…" Jazz said, comprehending her situation.

0000000000

Meanwhile…

0000000000

Not too far away from the Fenton residence, and Casper High, the Guys in White were listening to what one could call a business proposition.

"Now, I know you are both men of…ordinance. You both are strict followers of rules. If you work for me, you will be following this rule," Vlad Masters in disguise told them both.

They looked at each other.

Vlad placed a faux book in front of them, of which the title was 'Section A of the pay act, Subsection Y sub-subsection 99: Government Agents and Legal Bribing'.

"It says here that – "

"We are both familiar with this act, from cover to cover," Guy in White one told Vlad, though they were not. It would be against some rule, some ordinance, some section, subsection, and so on and so forth if they didn't know all about thefake act."It is only legal if you give us enough money, under sub-subsection 100."

"Of course. Now, here is what I want you both to do…"

000000000000

Three out of the four Fentons were still in their kitchen, having a normal day, when Maddie turned on the TV, and out popped breaking news.

"This just in: down at the School's Out Concert at Casper High, citizens are being entrapped in possessed…is this right, Marty?" the newscaster asked someone off screen.

"I'm just atelepromter technician, not a botanist!" a voice exclaimed.

"Well, then citizens are indeed being entrapped by possessed grass! We go now to live coverage of the event, streaming locally, nationally, and worldwide on the Internet and on news channels everywhere!"

The camera switched to the lively scene and panned to show Freakshow, Danny, Sam, Tucker, and Lancer all entrapped by grass.

"That's our son!" Maddie shouted, obviously alarmed.

"And his spooky-ooky batty friend! And the techno geek!" Jack added.

"And Mr. Lancer!" Jazz remarked, but was really thinking of why Freakshow was there and what on earth or in the ghost zone he had strapped to his arm.

Just then, Freakshow spoke, answering Jazz's question on why Freakshow was there.

"Here we all are, Danny Fenton, for everyone to see what a freak you are," Freakshow said, his voice amplified.

Jazz was the only one who noticed poor Danny wince when Freakshow said these words.

"What is he talking about?" Mr. Lancer's voice came out of the TV

"What is he talking about?" Tucker and Sam said in unison quickly. They then commenced to whistle innocently.

"You've got to be kidding me," Jazz moaned under her breath. "It's a wonder his cover hasn't been blown before with them around."

"He is a freak," several teens said.

"This had better boost ratings!" you could hear the loudest, for this was the camera and news teams.

"What does that creepy anemic man think he's doing, calling _my_ son a freak? He is definitely going to get it! Why when I get my hands on him – " Maddie began, but was cut off when Freakshow began to speak again.

"Yes. I can tell from your varying reactions that you all are wondering what I mean by this. Young Danny is in fact a freak of nature, not that many know of this."

"Look who's talking, Mr. Ghost Envy," Danny muttered.

"Oh no. Danny!" Jazz whispered. But Casper High was much to far away for her or anyone else to help him.

"So I'm sorry about this, Daniel, but this is going to hurt, and hurt even more your reputation," Freakshow said.

Jazz was suddenly alert. "Daniel…" she muttered. "Who else calls Danny Daniel? Someone who Danny hates…someone who loves mom and the Packers. No way…"

Not that her parents heard any of this. They had their eyes fixated on the screen.

Freakshow touched a red triangular gem, the one closest to him. He blasted Danny with it.

Danny was knocked out of his natural prison, ran into Lancer, and knocked him out of his grass-mouth as well.

Danny stood up and looked down.

A bright ring appeared around his waist, and split into two rings. One moved up his body, and one down. It was something Jazz was very familiar with, but her parents weren't.

Danny changed into Danny Phantom. For the world to see.

"…"

There was silence everywhere.

"Tucker. Give me your PDA," Sam whispered to Tucker, who obliged. Sam quickly began a search on the Internet for more information on the Reality Gauntlet.

Then Danny reacted.

He blasted Sam and Tucker out of their mouths of grass.

"Why you no good, lousy, two bit, filthy – " Sam began. She dived for Freakshow once again, and the glove.

Tucker and Danny were right behind her.

They allhung on to a different section of the glove, each holding a different gem. Danny was holding onto the red gem of life section. Sam was holding onto the yellow gem of form section, and Tucker was holding onto the blue gem of fantasy section.

As they all touched the gems, Freakshow, Danny, Sam, and Tucker all rose into the air.

"Guys! I read on Tucker's PDA that the glove has a defense mechanism. Think of where you want to hid the gems!" Sam told her two best friends quickly.

Each of the gems in turn disappeared as they all thought of their favorite vacation destinations.

"NO!" Freakshow yelled.

They all plummeted to earth. Danny caught Sam and Tucker, while Lydia caught Freakshow.

The Reality Gauntlet power blast had temporarily disabled Danny's powers, in a very similar manner to the Plasmius Maximus. Not that anyone but Jazz, who was watching from the sidelines on a TV with hers till frozen parents, was putting the pieces together.

"Vlad," Jazz muttered angrily.

0000000000000000


	4. Confrontation

Chapter 4

General Point of View

**Guess what everyone? That's right...I'll be gone for another week due to a trip to...Wisconsin!**

**Review Please!**

0000000000000000000

As Danny, Sam, and Tucker all plummeted to Earth, they watched as classmates, teachers, and the annoying news people gaped at them.

"This is really turning out to be a _great_ day," Danny muttered as they fell towards the stage where Humpty Dumpty should've been playing for a normal start of the summer.

But when does the word 'normal' ever get the chance to be applied to Amity Park, specifically Danny's life?

Right. Never.

"They hid the gems, Lydia. But do not worry. We will get them back. It is only a matter of time," Freakshow said, laughing as Lydia used her ghostly tattoos for a much-needed dramatic exit.

The three teens landed with a thump onto the stage, stood up, and looked around.

Unlike usual, if anything can be called 'usual', instead of the crowd forming a mob away from the teens when there was ghost trouble, there was a mob forming towards them.

"Danny Phantom!" several hundred people started mumbling, and then started to take amongst themselves.

"Ha! He totally worships the ground I walk on! This is the best day of my life, like, ever!" Paulina said loudly, screaming with glee.

"Great…I've been bothering Fenturd all through his miserable life, and now it turns out he's a super hero…I might be toast…" Dash said, starting the long and difficult calculations, at least for him, of what Danny's dual identity might mean.

"Danny! What is your favorite flavor of ice cream?" a reporter asked.

"Um…"

"Danny! What do you want to be when you grow up?"

"An astronaut…"

"Danny!" another shouted.

"Danny?" several more asked.

"Daniel Fenton AKA Danny Phantom, you are now hereby in our custody under Order nine million, nine hundred ninety-nine thousand, nine hundred ninety-nine, Act ninety, Section two, Sub-section thirteen, sub-sub-section – "

The Guys in White had arrived on jetpacks, soaring towards the stage.

But before Guy in White number one could end his long rambling of sub-sections, Danny, Sam, and Tucker had formulated a very intelligent, responsible, and safe plan.

"Mosh Pit!" Sam yelled, throwing one of the reporters whom had been about to ask Danny where his favorite place to shop for hair gel was, onto the crowd.

Several other reporters followed, not wanting to be outdone by their peer who had 'started' the mosh pit.

Eventually in the confusion, the trio was able to escape from the stage and into the crowd, where, minus the fact that they could be trampled, were safe.

00000000000

Although the Fenton's did not know it, someone was watching their reactions very closely to Danny's… identity revelation.

There was, of course, mostly silence from the elder Fenton's. It took a good minute and a half after the revelation for Maddie to be able to move, no longer paralyzed with shock.

By the time her mother had moved, Jazz had already muttered one word.

"Vlad."

"Our son…is the ghost boy?" Maddie yelled at the top of her lungs in disbelief as her son went off and was lost in the crowd.

"Well there you have it folks! Danny Fenton is Danny Phantom!" the reporter screamed from the mosh pit. The camera was being swiveled frantically, trying not to lose the reporter in the mess.

Well, the person who was spying on the other Fentons was fairly pleased that at least one of the Fentons had figured it out so quickly.

'She must get it from her mother,' Vlad, the spy, thought as he overshadowed Jack.

"Jasmine – Jazz. You don't seem surprised by the fact that your little brother is Public Enemy Number One, having kidnapped the mayor, and on many occasions caused so much damage to public and private buildings," her overshadowed father told her.

"Jazz…did you _know_?" her mother asked her, outraged.

"I think she did Maddie," Vlad confirmed through Jack.

"How did you figure that out, dad – and I thought you were focusing on your cookies when Danny was framed!" Jazz said.

"So you did know!" Vlad said again through Jack.

"Yes dear…I didn't know you paid so much attention to the ghost boy other than the fact that you wanted to…what was it you always said you were going to do if you ever found Danny?" Maddie asked her husband sweetly.

Jazz had tipped her mother off to the fact that all was not as it seemed.

Maddie knew her husband. She knew that all he had really paid attention to during the mayor incident was the cookies, bazooka, and the fact that he would get to rip Danny apart, molecule by molecule.

"Um…find out who he really was?" Vlad offered hopefully.

"Wrong answer, ghost!" Maddie said, shooting ectoplasmic goo at her husband, that somehow made Vlad vacate Jack's person.

"The Wisconsin ghost!" Maddie yelled.

"What are you doing here?" Jazz asked him.

"Let's see…your brother was just revealed on local, national, and global television to be the person that he really is…what do you _think_ I'm doing here?" he asked her.

"The Wisconsin Ghost! No one makes a meat puppet out of Jack Fenton more than once in the same year and gets away with it!" Jack yelled, taking out a Fenton Bazooka.

"Well…I guess I will be seeing you all a little later. Good-bye," Vlad said, floating through the roof of the kitchen.

When he was over Fenton Works, he took out a walkie-talkie. He flipped it on and said into it

"Do it now."

About fifty feet below him, the Men in White and their small force rang the Fenton's doorbell.

Jazz answered it, her parents right behind her.

"What do you want?" she asked them.

"You three are under arrest under some long law and series of sections and sub-sections that we aren't authorized to tell you. For close contact with a freak," Men in White One said with authority, commencing to place Jazz in handcuffs.

Too bad the Men in White didn't realize that Maddie Fenton was a ninth degree black belt.

Maddie proceeded to defend her daughter and husband by knocking down the entire task force.

Vlad had suspected this, and once the task force was…unavailable, for they were getting to know the pavement, he flew down invisibly, spraying some sort of mist from a bottle, causing the three Fentons to lose consciousness.

The task force rose to their feet, as though nothing had happened. Some lady in front of their boss _certainly_ just hadn't beaten them.

Freakshow and Lydia chose this exact moment to show up.

"They hid the gems," Freakshow told him miserably.

"Idiot! How hard is it to keep teenagers from touching the gems?" Vlad asked them angrily, although he had already known that they had failed.

"Well…I am being controlled!" Freakshow said hopefully.

"You!" Vlad commanded the task force, "Go get the others."

The task force left, obviously knowing what this meant.

"At least now I will have some leverage. Now I must leave…I can't have Daniel and his little friends knowing I'm behind this, can I?" Vlad asked Freakshow.

"I guess not," Freakshow responded.

Vlad then went intangible and flew through the roof, towards Wisconsin where he could watch his plan unfold from a safe distance.

000000000


	5. Choices

Chapter Five

General Point of View

**Hey all. I know the update is a lot sooner than expected. We had to cut our trip short.**

00000000000000000

"So what are we going to do now?" Sam asked Danny. He was flying the three of them to his house, as quickly as possible.

"Not 'we'. I'm going to get my stuff and get the heck out of Dodge," Danny told her.

"But why?" Tucker asked him.

"Oh gee, Tucker, I don't know. Maybe it's because my parents want to take me apart molecule by molecule!" Danny yelled sarcastically.

"Danny…they would never do that to you now that they know," Sam told him, sighing.

"How do you know that, Sam? They were always looking for a way to kill me! That's all my dad talked about, besides fudge, bazookas, and cookies!" Danny said.

"I'm with you, man. We need to get out of here. But…where will we go? The Guys in White are already after us – well they're after you. And your parents probably have some kind of jet up in the Ops center…they would find us if we ran away," Tucker said. Sam rolled her eyes.

"I don't know," Danny admitted, coming up on his house.

He phased himself and his two best friends into his room, which should've been unoccupied.

But of course, it wasn't.

"Put it up, now!" Freakshow yelled from the center of Danny's room. The trio didn't know what he was talking about until the ghost shield was put up, successfully trapping Danny and his friends in the room.

"Freakshow! What are you doing here?" Danny asked him, noticing the ghost shield surround the house with a dramatic hum.

"Helping them," Freakshow answered as the Guys in White ran into the room with a very familiar black cube, throwing it at Danny's feet. The cube enlarged, engulfing Danny and causing him to change back into his human form.

"Hey! Where did you get this?" Danny asked them. The looked at each other and grinned.

"We're not allowed to reveal our sources under a very long act that persons as young as yourself would understand," Guy in White one said.

Two other government agents dressed in anti-contaminant suits pinned Tucker's and Sam's arms behind their backs, successfully capturing them as well.

"As you three well know, you scattered the gems of the Reality Gauntlet to locations unknown other than to yourselves. We will be willing to drop all charges against your parental units if you retrieve the three gems – which happen to be government property – that you have more or less stolen," Guy in White two said.

"Wait…you're working with Freakshow? Government agents are working with a psychotic ghost envious…villain?" Sam asked from across the room.

"Yes," Guy in White one admitted as if this didn't matter to them.

"And what did our parents ever do?" Tucker asked.

"Associate with someone who associates with the infamous evil Danny Phantom," Guy in White one cleared up.

"Wait, wait, wait! I'm not evil. What did I ever do to be considered evil?" Danny asked.

"Do you really want us to answer that?" Guy in White two asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes!" Danny answered.

"How about when you kidnapped the mayor?" Guy in White one asked.

"I was framed by a ghost warden named Walker. The mayor was being overshadowed and really dragged _me_ into captivity," Danny said.

"And what about the times Danny saved the town? Like when Pariah Dark almost took over the world?" Sam suggested.

"What about the several hundreds of thousands of dollars of property damage you have caused?" Guy in White two asked.

"While fighting other ghosts trying to either take over the city, continent, or world!" Danny said defensively.

"Well, it doesn't matter to us – or our boss at the moment for that matter – whether you are good or evil. We just want you to get the Reality Gems," Guy in White one said, ending the argument.

"And what if we don't get them for you?" Tucker asked them.

"Then your parents will suffer the consequences," Guy in White two said.

"Isn't that illegal to threaten our parents criminal records?" Sam asked.

"We aren't threatening their criminal records," Guy in White two said, amused.

"Then what are you threatening?" Danny asked them.

"Your parents' lives," Freakshow laughed maniacally.

"That definitely isn't legal!" Danny said.

"Who cares about legal?" Freakshow asked.

"You two should, I mean, you guys are always like 'order whatever section something subsection who cares subsubsection blah blah blah," Tucker said.

"Under rule two of the bribing act, subsubsection fifty of section thirty-seven of order one, we don't have to care about what's legal and what isn't," the Guys in White said in unison.

"Bribing act?" Sam asked.

"Indeed," Guy in White one said.

"Who bribed you?" Tucker asked.

"Under Order Seven – "

"We get the picture," Danny cut off Guy in White two from another increasingly annoying rant.

"You know what? I don't see our parents here. Do you guys see them?" Sam asked.

Just then, a half a score of government agents – or agents of the Guys in White more accurately – opened the door into the hall to show that they indeed have Tucker's, Sam's, and Danny's parents and his sister. They were all bound, gagged, and unconscious to boot.

"Scratch that then," Tucker said.

"So correct me if I'm wrong…you three will now go retrieve the gems and bring them to a set location within three days. But if you're caught by the police…game over for your relatives," Freakshow said. "And most likely you as well. So now children, any questions?"

"Yeah. Why not just ask us where the gems are and get them yourselves?" Danny asked Freakshow.

"Well, Daniel, perhaps because you three know their _exact _location, and therefore will be faster than anyone the Guys in White or even I could send someone to retrieve them," Freakshow answered him.

"Its Danny, not Daniel," Danny told him.

"Whatever you say. So are you going to agree to this…arrangement?" Freakshow asked him.

"Do we really have a choice?" Danny asked him.

Freakshow smiled.

"Your hours are ticking," Freakshow said.

"Let us go then," Danny answered him. Freakshow took out a remote that caused the Spectral Energy Neutralizer to shut down and into its dormant small cube form.

The government agents released Sam and Tucker's arms.

"Oh, and one last thing," Freakshow said.

"What?" Danny asked him.

"These are tracking devices. You will all have to wear one – and they are ghost proof and made of unbreakable alloy," Freakshow said as the Guys in White placed bracelets on each of the trio's left wrist.

"Great," Tucker, Sam, and Danny said sarcastically.

As Danny, followed closely by Sam and Tucker, ran to get up into the Ops center, Freakshow smiled, activated the tracking devices, the cameras and the microphones.

Vlad wasn't about to take any chances of losing his future apprentice and his little friends.

0000000000000


	6. Off We Go!

Chapter Six 

Danny's Point of View

**Hello all! I have to admit, I didn't have much of an idea where this story was going after the general gems retrieval. But today, a little lightbulb came on and I decided where it was allgoing...and let me tell you...its gonna be good...if I do say so myself...**

0000000000000000000

I ran down the stairs, Sam and Tucker following me.

I ran into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator door. I pushed the button on the right wall of the fridge, and an elevator, hidden in the floor, shot the three of us, plus the refrigerator, up and into the Ops center.

"Danny…what are we doing here?" Tucker asked me as I walked over to the Ghost Shield controls, disabling the Ghost Shield.

"Leaving and not letting Freakshow kill our parents," I told him gravely.

"But…Danny we can't let him get the Reality Gauntlet fully and completely powerful again!" Sam told me.

"We'll figure that out later," I shrugged.

I opened the refrigerator door again. I lifted up the emergency ham and pressed the button hidden under it. There was popping sounds as the Ops center released from the top of the house, changing into a blimp.

"Oh great, Danny. This is sure going to get us to our destinations and back to wherever Freakshow wants us to take the gems in…two days and twenty-three hours!" Sam told me sarcastically.

"Just give me a minute, will you?" I asked her, frustrated.

I then pressed a red button on what had turned into the dashboard of the blimp.

There was a loud rumbling noise.

"What is that?" Tucker asked me. I grinned.

The blimp changed into a Fenton Jet.

"Oh…" Tucker said as we blasted off, leaving Amity Park well behind us.

"Next stop, Cape Canaveral Florida to find the gem of life," I told them with a grin.

0000000000

General Point of View

0000000000

As the trio set off south for Florida, where they would arrive in approximately two hours, Freakshow, the Guys in White and their agents were boarding a jet of their own. Along with he parents of Sam, Tucker, and Danny, and Danny's sister, who were all still unconscious, for Wisconsin, where they would arrive in under an hour.

When they arrived at their destination, just outside of Green Bay, they landed at a privately owned runway at a privately owned mansion.

They carted the unconscious prisoners into the mansion, where ghosts took over and locked them all in separate cells. That is except for Maddie Fenton, who was locked in a suite.

If you haven't figured out where they are yet, maybe you know a bunch of people who have airports owned by them in the backyard of their mansions and treat all of their prisoners the same except for one.

Anyway, Freakshow and the Guys in White walked into a private office on the fifth floor of the mansion.

Sitting in a chair, waiting for them was Vlad Masters.

From the lack of surprised gasps, I'm taking it that no one around here knows someone personally with a mansion and a privately owned airport in their backyard.

"I take it you have brought the bait," he told them.

They all nodded in unison.

"Good. And you placed the bracelets on the three of them?" Vlad asked them.

They all nodded in unison again.

"I activated the tracking devices in them, and the surveillance equipment," Freakshow added.

"Good, very good. Guys in White – your jobs here are finished for the time being. Be on the lookout for any sign of trouble from the prisoners, but other than that, enjoy your lives," Vlad told them.

"…Thanks?" the Guys in White said uncertainly.

They left the room, readying to make sure the captives did not escape.

"As for you, Freakshow," Vlad said.

"Yes?"

"Do you think any one of them will figure it out?"

"You mean the children?"

"Yes," Vlad answered.

"No. They aren't smart enough. After all, they are just kids," Freakshow said.

"That is one place where you are wrong, Freakshow, very, very wrong," Vlad told him.

Freakshow left and Vlad walked towards the room Maddie was locked in, where she was just waking up.

000000000

Maddie's Point of View

000000000

I sat up with a terrible headache.

The day's events came rushing back towards me.

"Danny's the ghost boy?" I said out loud.

I got up from the bed I had been laying on, went over to the door, and turned on the knob.

It was locked.

But someone opened it from the other side.

The Wisconsin Ghost floated in, an evil grin on his face.

"The Wisconsin Ghost?" I said, looking for any weapon against a ghost. I carried almost a hundred with me at all times – but they were all gone.

"Call me Plasmius," he told me.

"Where are my ghost weapons Plasmius?" I asked him, angry.

"Around. I know what a capable ghost hunter you are, Maddie. Your son also seems to be following in your footsteps," he told me in a chilling voice that made the hairs on the back of m neck stand up.

"How do you know that?" I asked him.

"I have my ways. Aren't you curious what your son is?" he asked me.

"How do you know?" I asked him, my tone guarded. How could a ghost know more about my son than I did? I knew something was wrong – but I wasn't as worried as I was before when he sank through floors and chairs after his accident.

I had thought that I was just imagining things, and that my mind was playing tricks on me. That I had been working too hard on my ghost research, and eventually, I stopped seeing my son have ghost-like moments.

Then came him and his exhaustion, missing his curfew. I didn't know what on earth Danny could have been doing that was so interesting that he couldn't get home at ten.

Now I knew.

"Because he and I happen to be of the same kind. He is a half ghost…and I wonder if you can figure out how," the Wisconsin Ghost – Plasmius – told me.

"The only thing that could've done something like that was Danny's…ghost…portal…accident," I said, realizing with every word explanations for Danny's strange behavior these past few months.

"Exactly," Plasmius said, grinning.

"But how would that work? How could that make my son a…half ghost?" I asked him.

"Very simple, really. As you know, he received what you thought was a small shock from your ghost portal. In reality, he was caught inside it when he turned it on. The ectoplasm from the Ghost Zone bonded to his molecules, changing them, and him, into a halfa – or a half ghost," Plasmius told me.

"And how do you know this?" I asked him.

"Because a similar thing happened to me…many years ago," he told me. "If you and Jack hadn't been so foolish, leaving the portal lying around like that, your son would be normal, and not the freak that he is. Nor would he be afraid of his own parents experimenting on him," Plasmius said.

Another realization hit me. We had always been obsessed with Danny Phantom – threatening to rip him apart, molecule by molecule for tests.

What kind of parents threatened to experiment on their own children?

"Yes…" Plasmius said, obviously knowing what was running through my head. "If Jack had had the calculations correct – "

"But I thought he did!" I cut him off.

"No. Only close enough that Daniel had to activate the portal to open the wall into the Ghost Zone," he told me.

"But – but – " I said, trying to think of something to say.

"Face it, Maddie. It is your fault that Daniel is half ghost, and will possibly be killed in government experiments. That is, unless someone was to help him and convince the government otherwise…"

"But who could do that?" I asked him.

"I might be able to arrange it…for a cost," Plasmius told me, grinning.

0000000000000


	7. The Desicion

**Hey all, you know the drill. **

**Its official...I'm driving my parents insane with computer programming...:)**

Chapter 7

General Point of View

0000000000000000

As Danny, Tucker, and Sam came up on Cape Canaveral, they were all unaware of certain laws put in effect on launch days.

They were flying in a Fenton Jet, as you may recall.

And Cape Canaveral is a strict 'no fly' zone for unauthorized aircraft and civilian aircraft. Especially on launch days.

Not that the auto Jack would be able to know that it was a launch day.

"So…what are we going to do when we get to Cape Canaveral? It will be like looking for a needle in a haystack!" Sam was saying.

"Well…that will be better, than the alternatave," Danny remarked casually.

"What's the alternative?" Tucker asked.

"Something at or around Cape Canaveral evil, alive, and hungry." Danny said, reading the Internet page Sam had found on the Reality Gauntlet, published by Freakshow.

"I still can't believe that Freakshow is on the Net!" Tucker said in disbelief, scrolling through saved Internet files on his PDA.

Danny and Sam looked at each other and rolled their eyes.

"And why do we get to go to Florida first?" Tucker added on to his rant.

"…Because it's Danny's parent's jet," Sam told Tucker. "Duh."

"Oh…I knew that. Sweet ride, I must admit," Tucker said.

"Unidentified Craft. You are now in a strict no flight zone by government order. Stand down, or we must be forced to take harsh military action," an emotionless voice came out of the speakers on the dashboard.

"What?" Sam said.

"Oh man," Danny groaned. "They're supposed to be launching the Space Shuttle today…there's a forty mile no fly zone around Cape Canaveral."

"You could've mentioned that before," Tucker said.

"Repeat; Unidentified Craft. You must stand down, or face military action," the voice said.

"But we have to get the Gem of Life!" Danny yelled, even though the voice couldn't hear him, and definitely wouldn't care.

"Doesn't this thing have some sort of defense system?" Sam asked Danny.

"Why me?" Tucker moaned, rocking back in forth, hugging his PDA close.

"Most likely…umm…Activate Defense Systems?" Danny told the ship.

"Defense Systems Activated. Blast Cannons or Shields?" the ship asked.

"Shields. We'll definitely be shot down if we were to start shooting at them," Danny said.

"Standby for fudge – er protective shields," the ship replied.

Directly after the ship informed the trio of this, thick metal casing seemingly came out of nowhere and surrounded the Fenton Jet in protective casing.

"Unidentified Craft – standby for destructive military action," the voice said.

00000000000

"What price?" Maddie Fenton asked Vlad, in his ghost form, of how to save her son from experimentation and a painful death.

"Nothing…expensive. All I ask is that you leave Jack and you and the boy come to live with me. I could help your son come to terms with his…condition," Plasmius told Maddie with a smile.

"…Leave Jack?" Maddie said quietly.

"Yes…you could always explain the situation to the oaf. But, Maddie my dear, I must have your answer fairly soon…so that I can send in someone to stop the military from shooting down your son within the next minute and a half or so," Plasmius said.

"What did you do?" Maddie asked him angrily.

"Why Maddie, it is nothing that _I _did. Your son is trying to save you by retrieving some cheap gems…by storming into Cape Canaveral – which if I'm right – is currently – and forty miles around it – a strict no fly zone. And your son and his two little friends are in that zone in what I believe is a high tech jet," Plasmius said.

"And if I don't agree to leave Jack and come and live with you with Danny…what will happen to Danny?" Maddie asked him.

"Regrettably, he will most certainly be killed," Plasmius said with what sounded like very mock concern.

He took out a control from his lapel, with dozens of unlabeled buttons, pushed one, and a plasma screen television materialized from the floor, showing three panicking teenagers.

"Danny we have to do something!" Sam was saying. "I don't think these shields will hold millitary grade missiles!"

"I'm working on it!" Danny yelled.

"I can't lose this PDA! I have seven more payments on it, and it's my baby!" Tucker whined.

"But ghosts can turn intangible!" Maddie realized aloud, watching the three teens panic.

Panic in times of crisis was unlike the trio, but usually they were dealing with ghosts, and not the United States Military and their missiles.

"Yes. But these missiles have traces of ectoplasm…and if I recall it was you who sold your patent to the government to integrate ghost technology into their defense systems," Vlad said.

On the tape, you could hear the missiles whistling towards the ship.

"About five seconds," Plasmius said indifferently.

Then came a terrible loud thump from the television as the first of the missiles hit its target.

"Or not," Plasmius remarked. "Decide. Your son's life, or Jack as your husband. Not to mention two other children."

0000000000000

"Wait!" Sam said as more missiles started blasting at them at full force.

"Warning; shields will not be able to maintain safe atmosphere for much longer," she ship said. Maddie heard this, also, over a thousand miles away.

"What?" Danny asked her.

"Danny! You're half ghost! That is why we're running away from the government, your parents, and society in general!" Sam said.

"Oh…I really should've thought of that sooner…" Danny said.

"My PDA is saved!" Tucker said. Sam and Danny looked at each other and just rolled their eyes.

Danny ran over to the side of the jet and went intangible, turning the ship and its occupants intangible also.

"Warning; ghost/human versatile missiles - patent Fenton Works, last year," the ship remarked. "Abandon Ship. Repeat. Abandon Ship!"

The missiles kept coming.

"Let's hear it for another of my parents' fine inventions," Danny remarked sarcastically.

0000000000000

"I'll do it," Maddie said when she heard that Danny's ghost powers couldn't save him.

"You both?" Plasmius asked with satisfaction.

"We'll both come and live with you, Plasmius," she told him.

"Excellent," Plasmius said, a sinister grin breaking out over his face. He took out the control again, but this time pressed a different button and talked into it. "Make them call off the missiles and have them cleared to land."

"Yes sir," Guy in White One replied.

00000000000000

"Cease Fire by order of the United States Government," the Guys in White said together with authority. Technically, they weren't _really_ working for the government anymore…but who cares about government officials getting bribed?

They approached Cape Canaveral in authorized craft, the authorization purchased by whom else but Vlad Masters.

"Yes, sir," the voice who had warned the teens about their doom said.

The missiles immediately stopped.

"And they are cleared to land, also by order of the United States Government," Guy in White One said.

"Yes. Of course. Anything else?"

"No," Guy in White Two answered.

"Well…then have a nice day!" The voice said in a completely different tone – not to mention in a friendlier mood. "And remember how nice Billy Stevenson was to government officials!" the voice said.

00000000000000

"Unidentified Craft – you are cleared to land," Billy Stevenson told the teens.

"Hallelujah!" Tucker shouted.

"I wonder what made them stop," Sam said.

"Who cares? They stopped, and we aren't fried to a crackle-like crunchy crisp. Now let's get the gem of life," Danny said.

00000000000000


	8. Is It a Bird? Is it a Plane?

**Hey all! I'm off to camp (again). Expect an update in a week for this story...sorry...**

Chapter 8

Is it a bird? Is it a Plane?

General Point of View

00000000000000000000

As the Auto Jack landed the Fenton Jet, on another side of the space center, a tour guide was starting out her daily tour of Cape Kennedy space center. There were about twenty tourists, all dressed in shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, and usual vacation clothes. Over half of them were severely sunburned, and ranged in ages from a little boy of about eight to an elderly woman of about eighty in a scooter, named Manson. She was there with two other elderly friends, having a great time in Florida. It was rumored that they had been boogie or body boarding earlier that day on a beach many, many miles away.

"Hello. My name is Anna-Kate, and I will be your tour guide today on the – what else? – tour of Kennedy Space Center, or what we like to call Cape Kennedy, in sunny Florida," she said through a portable microphone. Several of the tourists chuckled as she ushered the group into the lift connected to the space shuttle.

"Now, as you all know, today is a launch day. You lucky folks get to see the space shuttle up close, and personal. Just no touching! That is, if you don't want to end up in prison for suspected sabotage! Now, who here can tell me what the space shuttle is?" the tour guide asked.

Several hands raised. Anna-Kate pointed to a woman who was Grandma Manson's best friend, who answered the question.

"A space craft designed for reusability," the woman answered.

"Correct. The space shuttle is launched off a Mobile Launcher Platform – which weighs approximately nine point two five million pounds. As you all know, this will be the first launch since the Columbia tragedy in 2003," Anna-Kate said as the lift started up. She continued her spiel.

A little boy who was becoming very bored with the tour – which his parents said they would take him to go mini golfing if he was good and went on the tour - looked at his surroundings.

He was very high up. Not to mention very close to the space shuttle that what he thought he had seen zillions of boring times on TV. The floor of the lift was metal, and clean, except for one red shiny translucent object.

"Neato," he whispered so he wouldn't interrupt the tour.

He crouched down and picked up the red gem.

"I wonder who dropped this?" he whispered to himself. "Oh well…finders keepers, losers weepers."

Just then, the gem started to glow, to the boy's delight.

Then, to no one's delight, the space shuttle started to move.

On its own.

"Nothing to be alarmed at folks!" Anna-Kate called, sounding perky and cheerful. "Probably just some routine maintenance."

Then the space shuttle growled, and Anna-Kate was confirmed a perky liar.

"Awesome!" the little boy squeaked as the tower that the lift was connected to started to shimmy.

Several people, men included, shrieked like little girls.

Including Anna-Kate.

It isn't a good sign when your tour guide is frightened out of their wits.

Then, the space shuttle bent at an impossible angle, and looked at the occupants of the still rising lift with glowing red eyes. It now had teeth, also. Very sharp teeth, one might mention.

On the ground, one people said to themselves

"Is it a bird? Is it a plane?"

"It's a mutant space shuttle!" someone screamed.

With that single scream, everyone followed the trend and screamed, including the little boy holding the Gem of Life.

He dropped it, and it fell through the grate on the side of the lift.

The mutant space shuttle swallowed it.

Then it went for the tower, snapping it cleanly in half.

The occupants of the lift started to fall.

00000000000000

Across Cape Kennedy, Danny, changing invisibly and intangible, also changing Sam and Tucker thusly, went through the jet's wall and into the sunshine.

Before he exited, he set the jet to open the door.

The door of the jet opened, and security personnel came rushing out to greet the passengers who they thought were high-ups in the government, after all, the Guys in White had said that they were when they had landed.

The security guards rushed into the jet to greet them, but of course, no one was there.

"Wow!" Danny said, setting them down in a crowd of tourists and changing visible with out anyone noticing.

"That's an understatement," Sam said, looking up at the huge space shuttle. There was a lift going up as they spoke.

"No kidding. Did you know that that things weighs near ten million pounds?" Tucker asked them.

"Nine point two five million," Danny told him.

"Oh," Tucker said lamely. "Right…you want to be an astronaut."

"My Grandma told my parents she was going to knitting convention here in Cape Canaveral this week," Sam said.

"Your Grandma knits?" Tucker asked her.

"Nah. I bet she was going to the beach and is in some skating competition or something," Sam said.

Her Grandma had done that _yesterday_.

"Your Grandma is the coolest," Danny said. Then he noticed a faint red glint on the lift rising higher and higher.

"Hey guys, do you see that?" Danny asked, pointing to the lift.

"Oh my gosh! The Gem of Life must be up there!" Sam said excitedly.

"Wait…I don't see anything. And just because you see some glint doesn't mean that it has to be the Gem of – "

Tucker was cut off by the Space Shuttle emitting a paranormal growl.

"Okay. Point proven," Tucker said as the tower started to shake. The shuttle bent down, and looked at the lift. You could see it swallow a red glint.

"Oh man," Danny said, turning invisible. "I have to go get it!"

"Be careful!" Sam called as he flew off towards the tower.

Danny flew up invisibly to the shuttle, and because it could not see him, he looked into the window. The Gem of Life was sitting on the pilot's seat, looking rather comfy. For a gem, that is.

"Well, this should be easy," Danny said.

Then the shuttle dove down and Danny heard a huge metallic snapping sound.

"Or not," he said.

He looked down to see the lift bottom a few feet below his eye level. He noticed Grandma Manson on her scooter, screaming. Not in terror, but in some twisted I'm-gonna-get-my-final-thrill way.

Then the tower started to fall.

"Not good," Danny muttered. He looked between the mutant ship holding the Gem of Life, and the falling lift with about twenty people.

Danny, being the hero that he is, dove for the falling piece of tower, turned it intangible, accidentally becoming visible in human form himself, and set the tower down on the ground – as many people cheered - so the tour guide and tourists could leave it safely.

Then Danny changed into his ghost form, to the delight of the tourists, and flew off toward the shuttle, which was now flying straight for him.

"Happy, happy, joy, joy," he muttered under his breath as it swallowed him whole.

He ended up in the flight deck where all of the controls were - not to mention next to the Gem of Life.

He grabbed the gem and instantly, the shuttle returned to normal. He placed it in a pocket in his suit.

Everyone cheered now, for they weren't going to get eaten by an evil Space Shuttle.

They, a few seconds ago, were thinking on thing.

'I can just see the epitaph now. My name is Huddle…I lost my head to a mutant Space Shuttle.'

Or something along those lines.

"Oh no…not good," Danny said, looking over at the plummeting altimeter.

"Okay. I've done this simulation like a zillion times on the computer safely…I can do it in real life!"

Danny grabbed the controls, and started a safe, if not marginally clumsy time of rising and falling again for fear of hitting people, landing.

He phased out of the Space Shuttle, grabbed Sam and Tucker, and retreated back into the Fenton Jet.

"Auto Jack we now want to go to the Nevada Desert to Gothapalooza," Sam told it.

"Auto Jack going to Fudge – I mean Gothapalooza," the ship said.

"Did you get the gem?" Tucker asked Danny. He reached in his pocket and took it out.

"We need somewhere to put this where it won't make the emergency ham or anything else disturbing come to life," Danny said. "We don't want another mutant hot dog incident."

Sam handed him a Fenton Thermos.

Danny placed the gem inside it, and changed back to normal.

They then all sat down on their seats, and laughed.

"A mutant space shuttle. Now that's not something you see everyday," Tucker laughed.

"Oh. Sam. Your Grandma was on that lift that was falling," Danny told her.

"Thanks Danny…she was probably enjoying the action, wasn't she?" Sam asked him.

"You could say that," Danny answered.

"Why can't we go to the Comic Convention next?" Tucker whined.

"Tucker," Sam and Danny scolded.

000000000000

Many miles away, Maddie sighed in relief, realizing that her son would now be safe. For the time being. Vlad was still standing behind her, and had watched the screen as Danny had saved the tourists, and landed the space shuttle all by himself.

"You had better make sure that he's safe until he gets here," Maddie threatened Vlad in ghost form.

"But of course my dear Maddie, but of course," he said with a smile. He turned and walked towards the door to leave the room, but at the door he turned around and smiled at her.

"You made an excellent choice. The best one in all of the years that I've known you," he told her, leaving.

"All the years that he's known me?" Maddie muttered. "He isn't a stalker, is he?"

00000000000

**Thanks to Wikipedia for the info on the Space Shuttle.**

**Oh…and I can now officially (not really officially, but I can) fly, take off, and land a Cessna plane…watch out, world…muwahahahaha…**


	9. Ah! It Burns!

Sorry for not updating sooner. I just got back from camp, and didn't have time to write another chapter until today. And I'm going to be gone for a few days to my relative's house…so…ciao!

Chapter 9

General Point of View

0000000000000000000000

Somewhere in the basement of Vlad's mansion was a mock dungeon. Inside this dungeon was Jazz and Jack Fenton, the Mansons, and the Foleys. Five out of the six captives had no clue why they were there – or a correct clue.

"I always knew some ghost would figure out how fearful a ghost hunter I am!" Jack Fenton boomed.

His daughter, Jazz, who was reading a book on psychology – mainly ghost envy – rolled her eyes at her father's statement.

Just then, the dungeon door opened and who would walk in, but the Wisconsin ghost?

"The Wisconsin ghost, suffering spooks! What are you doing here?" Jack asked.

"You've been captured, your wife is missing, and you now know that your son is Danny Phantom. What do you think I'm doing here?"

"Causing trouble like usual," Jazz said from her book.

"Ah, Jasmine. I always knew you had inherited your mothers' brains," Plasmius said.

"Oh gag me," Jazz said, going back to her book. "Too bad I can't do my theory on Ghost Envy on you…you're already a ghost. Well, you are more or less. Have any suggestions?"

"Freakshow."

"So you knew that that ragamuffin was a ghost?" Mrs. Manson asked Plasmius.

"As the kids would say nowadays…duh," Plasmius said.

"How?" Jack asked him.

"I have my ways, Jack."

"What are we doing here?" Mr. Foley asked.

"Well, I wouldn't be able to be in control of the Reality Gauntlet if I had no leverage over you children, who know where the gems are," Vlad remarked.

"So Freakshow was simply your pawn all along?" Jazz asked.

"Basically. It is all chess, and I hold all of the pieces now – or will fairly soon."

"Where are our children?" Mr. Manson asked.

"Why don't we check in on them?" Plasmius suggested, taking out a remote, which triggered a plasma screen TV to pop out of nowhere and show the trio just landing, ready to find the Gem of Form.

00000000000

The trio walked out of the jet, and were hit with a blast of cold air.

"That's it! We are asking for directions!" Sam yelled to Tucker and Danny over the wind.

"Wait! I know where we are! We're in…Antarctica!" Danny said.

"Hey, guys! Snow cones!" Tucker said, scooping up a bunch of snow, and eating it – without flavoring.

"Let's go, guys," Sam said, walking back onto the jet. Danny and Tucker – arms loaded with snow – walked in behind her.

"Auto Jack – this isn't the Nevada Desert where Gothapalooza is. Try again!" Danny said.

"Now leaving for Fudge – Nevada Desert – Take Two!"

00000000000

Before the trio even landed, Sam told the Auto Jack to keep going.

"Why, Sam?" Tucker asked her.

"Yeah! I see plenty of creepy people from here!" Danny said.

"We need directions!" Sam said, ignoring the creepy people comment.

"The Auto Jack may need fudge, but does not need directions!" the ship said. "This is the Nevada Desert!"

"But Gothapalooza isn't in Las Vegas! We are looking for Gothapalooza!" Sam screamed in the Auto Jack's inflatable ear.

"Passengers have no need to shout. Off for Gothapalooza!"

"Finally," Sam muttered.

000000000000000000

"See, Sam, I told you! We didn't need to stop and ask for directions!" Danny said as they finally touched down right on the other side of the hill where Gothapalooza was being held, just out of sight.

"Yeah. Everyone totally goes from Cape Canaveral to Panama – the _country_ – to Antarctica to Las Vegas and finally here to get to Gathapalooza!" Sam said sarcastically.

"But at least this jet is really, really fast!" Tucker said.

"What is it with men and asking directions?" Sam asked them.

"I don't know. Snow cone?" Tucker asked, offering the fifth certified, guaranteed, genuine Antarctic snow cone.

"No Tucker!" Sam snapped.

"Touchy, aren't we," Tucker said.

"I suggest fudge," the auto Jack said as Sam walked down the exit platform, and up the hill.

She stopped at the top of the hill.

When Tucker and Danny came walking out of the Fenton Jet, Sam started screaming.

"What sort of cruel world is this?" she sobbed.

"What?"

"It burns!" Sam screamed as Tucker and Danny walked over the hill to see the sight of what the Gem of Form had done to Gothapalooza.

It looked like a creepy Teletubbies meets Barney meets The Wiggles meets the Care Bears convention.

Did I mention creepy?

All of the goths had been transformed into happy, colorful, Care Bear – esque creatures. They were all chanting.

"Peace, Love, Joy, Hope, Happiness, Sunshine! Peace, Love, Joy, Hope, Happiness, Sunshine and Pastel Colors! Peace, Love, Joy, Hope, Happiness, Sunshine, Pastel Colors, and World Peace!"

On each chant they would add another anti-goth type word.

Banners in bright pastel colors shone and rose by themselves whenever they said one of the cheery anti-goth words.

"Demons! Get off me! It burns!" Sam was screaming as the creatures came to welcome her, and began hugging her.

"Hello, Irony," Tucker and Danny said as the teddy bears began hugging them as well.

"The Power of Christ Compels you!" Sam screamed.

"Sam…they aren't demons," Danny laughed.

"Wanna bet?"

"Yes," Tucker said.

"Evil creatures! Where is the Gem of Form? Give it to me! Give it to me, now!" Sam screamed.

One of the bears hung a necklace with a peace sign around Sam's neck.

"No!" she wailed.

"Sam, I don't think we will have a problem getting the Gem of Form from them," Danny laughed.

"No kidding," Tucker said.

"But…they…are…evil!" Sam screamed.

"Can we have the Gem of Form?" Danny asked them.

"What is the magic word?" they all asked in unison.

"Please?" Danny asked.

"Here you go!" one of the bears ran up with the yellow gem and gave it to Danny.

He took it from the bear.

"Thank you," he told it.

"You're welcome," all the bears said.

Danny then returned everything to normal, and the creepy – to Sam - nice creatures were replaced by hardcore goths.

"That's _much_ better," Sam said, as two bears hugging her turned into two gothic guys.

"I love the smell of anti-establishment in the evening," Sam sighed in contentment.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Tucker said.

"Hey! Get off of her!" Danny told the guys. They took one look at Danny and ran away, because even goths watch the news.

"Danny!" Sam said.

"Sam, we have to go," Danny told her, pulling her into the Fenton Jet, Tucker right behind them.

"Now we finally get to go to the comic book convention!"

"And get our parents back," Danny added as they blasted off.

00000000000

"Our children are going on a dangerous mission to save us?" Jack asked. "That's my boy!"

"This is all of your fault, Jack Fenton! Our children are friends with a ghost freak!" Mr. and Mrs. Manson exclaimed as one.

"Well, you can blame anyone you want, as long as it's not us or our son," Mr. Foley remarked.

"How is it his fault? Do you realize that we're all in the captivity of a lonely, putrid, single ghost who needs to get a cat?" Jazz said.

"What?" the Foleys and Mansons said.

"Danny, if you didn't notice, is a hero! He's saved the town hundreds of times! You should be blaming the person who sent the ghosts, not Danny for accidentally causing damage while saving the town!" Jazz said.

"The girl is right," Mrs. Manson told her husband, who nodded.

"You, you've forced our children to put their lives at stake for our own! What kind of person are you?" the Foleys and Mansons asked as one.

"Let's see…I enjoy plotting villainous deeds and carrying them out…I want Daniel as my apprentice, Maddie as my wife, and to take over the world. What kind of person do you think I am?" Vlad asked them.

"You can't take my Maddie away from me!" Jack boomed.

"I already have – she was very willing to leave you, Jack," Plasmius remarked.

"Only because you probably dangled Danny's life over her head," Jazz shouted angrily at Vlad, for once losing her cool.

"Well, I am the villain of the story," Vlad said, exiting the dungeon, laughing maniacally.

00000000000000


	10. Triple the Trouble!

Chapter 10

General Point of View

00000000000000000000

As the trio made it to San Diego in one trip without, gasp, asking for directions, the comic convention was getting into full swing. Geeks, freaks, nerds, dorks, and enthusiasts littered the streets in brightly colored costumes.

But some of them wore black suits with a ghostly 'D' on the chest, and others wore a black and purple top with black and purple skirt.

Yes. There were people dressed as Sam and Danny, not surprisingly.

"My individuality has been compromised!" Sam wailed as they landed the jet in the middle of the street near the convention center.

"Auto Jack! What the heck are you doing?" Danny asked it.

"They're enthusiasts. They won't notice!" Auto Jack said. "Can I have some fudge?"

"No," the trio chimed.

Sure enough, as the trio exited the jet, only a few geeks looked up.

They gave them two thumbs up and exclaimed things like 'Sweet Ride' and 'What did you make it out of?'.

"We made it out of fudge, dude," Tucker answered one geek dressed as Danny.

They also got several 'sweet costumes…they look like the real thing!'s.

A geek came up to Tucker.

"Who are you supposed to be?" he asked him.

"Tucker! I come with my own technology!" Tucker said.

"From what comic?"

"Danny Phantom!"

"What issue? I don't recall…"

Tucker pushed past the geek, not very happy. Not very happy at all.

The three walked into the conference center, where Danny immediately saw a stand he was not happy with.

"Hey!" he said running over to the Danny Phantom comic stand. "I didn't authorize this! Who authorized this?" Danny exclaimed.

"Er…sorry dude…something needs to buy me the latest tech," Tucker said. Then he groaned, not noticing a single Tucker costume among the enthusiasts.

"You sold the rights to _my life_?" Danny asked Tucker loudly, who gulped.

"Now come on, man. You know I'm always broke. Where do you think I get the money for all the tech stuff?"

"So you made him your bread and butter?" Sam yelled in Tucker's face. Tucker didn't know which one to be more afraid of. The superhero, ghost-powered teen, or the extremely angry goth who was crushing on the superhero, ghost powered teen.

Tucker ran for it.

Just as this was taking place, three geeks gathered around a blue gem, just lying around on the floor.

All three of them were dressed as the same character from the Danny Phantom comic book.

Just think for a minute what would be really, really, really bad for the Gem of Fantasy to turn three matching geeks into…

000000000000

Meanwhile, the parental units, and Jazz, were watching their children's and in Jazz's case, brother's, peril unfold before them.

"My son is a popular comic book hero?" Jack asked. "I'm so proud!"

"Our daughter is depicted as a negative goth? That's slander!" Mrs. Manson said.

"No…the way they depict your daughter is pretty accurate," Mr. Foley remarked in a Tucker-like statement of the obvious that has no need to be said.

"We've failed as parents," the Mansons both wailed.

"Your daughter just wants to be different. And she's definitely…different," Mr. Foley said.

"I wanted her to be a model – her favorite color was supposed to be pink – and her favorite artist was supposed to be Elton John!" Mrs. Manson wailed.

"Well…she's not a model…her favorite color is black…and her favorite artist is some heavy metal racket all the kids listen to these days…and you can't dictate how your kids will turn out. Mine were supposed to surpass my weight and have my exact IQ…but did that happen? Nope. You can't dictate what your kids will be like!" Jack Fenton remarked.

"And I thought this man was an idiot!" Mr. Manson remarked.

"An observant idiot!" Jack responded.

"Hey! I bet that's the last gem!" Mr. Foley pointed to the blue gem of Fantasy, surrounded by three similarly dressed geeks.

"Hey, are they from Danny's comic? They look a bit like ghosts!" Mr. Fenton said.

"Oh no…" Jazz said as she looked at the plasma screen depicting what was currently happening to her baby brother.

"What, jazzy pants?" her father asked her.

"Those geeks are dressed as characters from Danny's life," Jazz said.

"Who?" Jack, The Mansons, and the Foleys all asked.

"His future self," Jazz said quietly.

0000000000000000000000000

"What do you mean my son has an evil future self?" Maddie yelled in Plasmius's face. "It's your fault, isn't it?"

"Actually…yes, yes it is. But he was created by me taking him in and removing his malevolent ghost half, which killed his human half, mine, and joined with my ghost half. He wanted to be separated from his ghost half because it is what caused your, your husband's, your daughter's, the Foleys' and the Mansons' deaths."

"How could my son cause our deaths?"

"It was an accident, and yet he caused them. He wasn't able to reach you in time, and watched as you were blown to smithereens. A ghost named Clockwork interfered with that time line and set things straight and back to relative normalcy," Plasmius admitted.

"What blew us to…smithereens?" Maddie asked him.

"Nasty Sauce, from the Nasty Burger."

"There's irony."

000000000000000000000000

"Well, then he must be good in the future. No worries," Mr. Foley said.

"His alternate future self. His self if we had all been killed with Tucker and Sam had been killed in an explosion. Danny had to go live with Vlad Masters…and Danny turned – "

"Extremely evil," Plasmius finished, floating in to watch.

"Why would living with V-Man be so bad for Danny? They're bound to be the best of friends!" Jack said.

"Because, well…" Jazz began.

Then onscreen, the Gem of Fantasy did its thing, and turned the Dan costumed geeks into more or less the real thing.

Plasmius cursed.

He took out the control, and paged the Guys in White.

Guy in White One answered immediately.

"Yes sir?" he asked.

"The Gem of Fantasy has created three future selves of Daniel," Plasmius said into it.

"And this would be a bad thing because…?"

"Because Daniel could be killed if he tries to fight three of them!"

"How evil is his future self?"

"His future self melded with me? Evil," Plasmius delivered the grim news.

"Under Ordination C, we know that if you say someone's evil, they're really evil," Guy in White Two said.

"Obviously," Plasmius said.

"Very well. We're on it now."

0000000000000000000

**I'm so so so so so so so so so so so sorry for not updating sooner. I just finished this chapter. I was at my relatives with their demon dog, Cujo (well, its real name is Tess, but my older cousin, uncle, and I call it Cujo) and my grandpa was in the hospital and now he's out, but they think my grandma has cancer.**

**And I've been doing major frustrating tech stuff for my dad to pay him back for show choir camp. If I have to write another BAT file or scan another document…I might blow…**

**Oh. And this is my official apology that this chapter sucks. It was a filler. Please don't throw rotten fruits and veggies!**


	11. Don't Mess With the Hero!

Chapter 11

Danny's Point of View

000000000000000000000

For the record, I was having a wonderful day.

I had gotten to fly and land the space shuttle at Cape Canaveral.

I had witnessed Sam freaking out and what the Gem of Form could to do unsuspecting goths.

I had had a genuine Antarctic snow cone.

Oh.

Can't forget some other, minor events today.

I was revealed to be a halfa, on local, national, and global television.

My parents found out my secret.

Freakshow captured my parents.

I was having to retrieve the Reality Gauntlet gems.

And now I was surrounded by my worst nightmare.

Me.

Three of me.

Three future me's.

Did I mention what a great day I'm having?

Dan One threw an extremely powerful blast at me that my pitiful green shield didn't even stop for an instant.

Before I even had time to think about going intangible, I was slammed against the wall, and I saw stars.

"Danny!" Tucker's voice called as I was being thrown from wall to wall of the convention center, the three Dan's playing a three-person version of 'let's hit Danny around the room using powerful ectoblasts'.

"Yes Tucker?" I yelled.

I noticed all the 'enthusiasts' were watching on with interest.

"This is better than last year's convention!" one of them yelled. There were several cheers of agreement.

I was pounded into another nice concrete wall.

"Would this be a good time to apologize for selling the rights to your life?"

"No!" Sam answered for me by yelling in his face.

I blacked out for a second.

I then – before the Dan's could toss me against another wall – went intangible.

This time, I went straight through the wall, and kept going on into the next state.

Oh great.

At least at a one hundred and ten miles per hour, I would eventually get back to San Diego.

00000000000

General Point of View

00000000000

The Guys in White arrived on this scene:

The three Dan's were wreaking havoc, to make the understatement of the century.

They had destroyed over half of the booths, and were starting to blast the enthusiasts. Especially the ones dressed as heroes.

Sam and Tucker had been reduced to heroically…hiding under a table at a booth, from fear of the evil trio.

Because, honestly, they had just knocked their best friends (with ghost powers, one might add) into the next state. If the trio did anything like that to them, they would be dead before they could say

"Truce?"

"Where is the ghost boy?" Guy in White One asked Guy in White Two.

"I don't know. We were supposed to make sure he was not killed, though we cannot do this under the common sense order if he is not present in our line of vision," Guy in White Two said.

"Correct," Guy in White One said.

"For the time being, we can get the Gem of Fantasy from the three evil copies," Guy in White Two said.

"I suggest we do that."

The Guys in White began blasting the Dan's, one at a time.

They tried to run from the advanced, thoroughly catalogued weaponry that the Guys in White were carrying, but even for the Dan's, the weaponry was no match.

Not that they couldn't have crushed the Guys in White in an instant if they had not had their weapons.

As one, the Dan's turned back to three enthusiasts, and Guy in White One grabbed the blue gem from the boy dressed as Dan in the center.

"Half of our mission has been accomplished. We must now locate the ghost boy and his friends," Guy in White One said, pocketing the gem.

"Affirmative," Guy in White Two said, taking out a remote and activating it.

"Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, twenty feet below, under table to the right," an automated voice said. "Logging under order Z in File F21059876245."

The Guys in White lifted up the table cloth to locate Sam and Tucker.

Tucker had his hands over his eyes.

"Tucker? What are you doing?" Sam asked him quietly.

"If I can't see them, they can't see me," Tucker said, whimpering a bit.

"Oh Tucker, you are such a baby. They're looking as though they're going to call the insane asylum on you," Sam told him with an eye roll as the Guys in White grabbed for them.

Tucker was still whimpering when they put him in cuffs. Sam didn't go down without a fight, though. She gave them a run for their money, with several kicks and punches.

Unfortunately, though, they got her into handcuffs.

"Now all we have to do is wait for the ghost boy," Guy in White One said.

"And I thought the men in white coats were supposed to help insane people, not be totally insane themselves!" an echoed a voice from high above the Guys in White and the two captive teens.

"Danny!" Sam said.

"What did you do to my friends?" Danny asked angrily.

"Now you've made him angry…not a good thing," Tucker said.

"Leave Sam alone!" Danny said.

"Sure! Don't care about the guy who sold the rights to your life!" Tucker said.

"Under Act 9872354A, we cannot," Guy in White One said.

"But we can do this," Guy in White Two said.

He took out some kind of gun, aimed it at Danny, and fired.

Danny tried to dodge out of the way, but somehow the blast followed him.

When it hit him, he reverted back to human form, and started falling unconscious to the floor where he landed with a thud.

"What did you do to him?" Sam asked angrily.

"We didn't harm him…he harmed himself with flying so high," Guy in White One said.

"But what was that?" Tucker asked.

"It's what our boss tells us is called a Plasmius Maximus that proceeds to strip a halfa of their powers for three hours, and their consciousness for an hour," Guy in White Two cleared up, mock politely.

Then came the gasps.

The enthusiasts had just seen their hero shot out of the sky. And they didn't like having their hero shot out of the sky.

The enthusiasts all started exchanging glances.

Then as one, they ran towards the Guys in White surrounding them.

"No one hurts the great Danny Phantom!" and things along those lines started being shouted until their was a massive uproar of incomprehensible shouting.

"This would be a good time to get out of here," Sam said to Tucker.

"You think?" Tucker asked.

Sam grabbed Danny's arms, while Tucker grabbed his legs, and they anonymously exited the convention center.

Sam took out the control that would call the Fenton Jet.

When it circled around to pick them up, they walked in, and flew off as the Guys in White were learning a valuable lesson that hadn't been taught to them in 'Feds University'.

That you should never mess with heroes in front of their fanatics.

0000000000000


	12. The Decision

Chapter 12

The Decision

General Point of View

00000000000000000000

As the Fenton Jet blasted away, Tucker commenced banging his head against the wall of the Jet.

"Tucker…what are you doing?" Sam asked him.

"We lost the last Reality Gem! Our only bargaining ticket to getting our parents back!" Tucker yelled.

"What are you talking about?" Sam asked him.

"The Guys in White got away with the Gem of Fantasy!"

"No they didn't Tucker," Sam said, taking out a Fenton Thermos and sucking the third Reality Gem into it.

"But how - ?"

"When the enthusiasts started attacking the Guy in Whites, I went over to the one who had the Reality Gem, and took it from his lapel pocket. He was in so much pain from a cracked rib that one of the enthusiasts had given him that he didn't notice," Sam said with a grin.

"You're awesome, Sam!" Tucker said.

"And now you notice," Sam rolled her eyes.

"Sam! This means we can get our parents back!"

"Actually, it means that its time to figure out how to duplicate the gems and fool Freakshow that he has the real gems. There's no way that we're giving him the three real gems. He'll control reality!"

"Good point. So how are we going to duplicate them?"

"Like this," Sam said, taking out her cell phone, taking pictures of the three gems, and then sending a text message with the photos.

There was a knock on the side of the door of the Jet.

"Wait…you get service in the air, too?" Tucker asked Sam.

"Duh," she said, opening the door for a brief instant as the woman who had given her the software to defeat Technus all those months ago gave her three gems that looked, felt, and were as heavy as the Reality Gems.

Sam then sucked the Gems back into the thermos and handed it to Tucker, who put it in his pocket.

"Sam, not only are you awesome, you're a rich genius!"

"Don't rub it in," Sam muttered.

"So…where should we go now?"

"Well – "

Just as Sam was going to say where they should go, a bell rang in the Jet and a screen came out of the ceiling. It came to life, and there was Freakshow, in all his anemic glory.

"Hello, children. Oh. Daniel does not look well," he remarked, looking to where Danny was sitting unconscious in one of the seats of the Fenton Jet.

"What do you want, Freakshow?" Sam asked him as Tucker hid behind the seat Danny was in.

And no, Tucker wasn't hiding out of fear. As you recall, he had the real Reality Gems in the Fenton Thermos in his pocket, and it kinda stood out.

"The Reality Gems you hold in your hands of course," Freakshow said, gesturing towards the phony gems.

"What will you do if I don't give them to you?"

Footage of Sam's, Tucker's, and Danny's parents and sister popped up on the screen to the right behind Freakshow, as though he was a newscaster and their parents were a story.

"Where's Mrs. Fenton?" Sam asked. Maddie, of course, was being waited on hand and foot by Vlad's ghost servants – or so Vlad intended. Maddie was refusing their service.

"She's otherwise engaged," Freakshow answered smoothly.

"You didn't answer my question," Sam told him coldly.

"They will disappear forever…as will you three when we get to you if you do not willingly hand over the gems," Freakshow said.

"Danny can and will fight you," Sam told him.

"Who said anything about him fighting me? I know he could kill me in an instant if he wanted to. It is others that he will have to worry about," Freakshow said oily.

"What others?" Sam asked.

"Oh…you'll figure it out," Freakshow said. "As I speak, an accomplice of mine has successfully hacked into the Auto Jack, and is sending the jet to my location. I will see you in three hours," Freakshow said, disappearing. The screen folded calmly back up into the ceiling.

Tucker came out from behind the chair, where Danny was beginning to wake up.

"That went well. You didn't sound scared of him one bit!"

"Why should we be scared of him? Its what he can do that we should be afraid of," Sam said.

"Woah. Since when have you been the oh wise giver of knowledge?" Tucker asked.

"She has been since forever," Danny said, standing up. "What happened?"

"We got away from the Guys in White thanks to a mob of enthusiasts of the Danny Phantom comic book and we now have all of the Reality Gems, man," Tucker said, shaking the thermos around and letting the gems clatter around inside.

"I had duplicates made," Sam said, holding up the faux gems.

"And Freakshow has control of the Fenton jet and its bringing us to where Freakshow is," Tucker said, pointing to the inflatable Auto Jack, which eyes had turned red. "That's just creepy."

"How did he get control of the Auto Jack?"

"An 'accomplice'," Sam and Tucker said in unison.

"Isn't that weird? It is either Lydia, or I don't know. Usually villains work relatively alone," Danny said.

"Yeah. But keep in mind, dude, your life is a form of entertainment to thousands. It has to be a bit loony to make it."

"Thanks to you."

"Danny, I'm really sorry I didn't tell you. I never mentioned the whole halfa thing – I swear. I mean, it just seemed like the right thing to do. I mean, tons of people adore you now, even more that they know that you're half-human. Your approval rate has actually climbed, according to the latest specs from my PDA. Tons of people have just decided that no kid can be as evil as some of the press makes them out to be. Which is awesome," Tucker said.

"Its okay, Tucker, I guess I was just shocked. But I still didn't authorize it."

"I know," Tucker said, hanging his head. "But you're my best friend!"

"And that's why I'm not blasting you off this ship," Danny said.

"You're kidding, right?" Tucker asked, cowering away from Danny.

"Duh," he said with a smile.

"Okay, now that we've all made up again, we need to decide what to do in the next three hours," Sam said.

"We have to give Freakshow the fake gems," Danny said.

"But what are we going to do with the real ones?" Tucker asked.

"Yeah. If we keep them with us, we have a chance of them finding them, but if we hid them where no one will find them, then you won't be able to change the fact that the world knows who you are!" Sam said in a rush.

Danny sat down, as did Sam and Tucker.

"Wow…this is one of those really hard decisions. Which would I rather have…everyone knowing that I'm Danny Phantom and all of our families back, or possibly having our families back and beating Freakshow?"

"Freakshow said he wasn't the one you had to worry about, man," Tucker said.

"And I'm pretty sure he was serious," Sam said.

"Who could he have working for that I would really have to worry about? And should I take the chance of having the gems being able to be found?"

"Danny, I hate to say it, but I think we can get through everyone knowing who you are. I don't think we'd be able to get through being dead, our families along with us," Sam said.

"Good point. We have to hide the gems. Again," Danny said.

"So…that was just all for nothing?" Tucker asked.

"We got our summer adventure," Sam said.

"Good point," Tucker said. "Where can we hide them that Freakshow will never be able to get them?"

"The Final Frontier," Danny suggested.

"I was thinking more about Fort Knox, but that will do, too," Tucker said.

"Wait, Tucker you're a genius! It's perfect! I would be able to get them back and be able to have people not know about me being Danny Phantom! And Freakshow wouldn't be able to get them! He's a human!" Danny said.

"I'm a genius? Finally someone noticed," Tucker said.

"But we all have to swear right now that we won't tell anyone – ever – where they are. Their location doesn't leave this ship. And no matter what," Danny said gravely.

"Even if he's gonna kill one of us?" Tucker gulped.

"Yeah, Tucker. Think about it. Being dead, and having Freakshow not control Reality, or being alive, and being controlled by Freakshow," Sam said, in the same grave tone.

Tucker gulped again.

"Good point," he said.

Danny put his hand out, and Sam put her hand over his. After a second, Tucker did the same. The all nodded.

"Alright then. Let's hide the Reality Gems," Danny said.

"Tucker, how do we hide them when they aren't connected to the glove?" Sam asked. Tucker looked it up on his PDA.

"We have to stack them one on top of each other, and one person has to say the place they want them hid while touching the center gem. The Gem of Life should be on the bottom, the Gem of Form in the middle, and the Gem of Fantasy on top," Tucker read.

"I'll do it," Danny said, stacking the Gems in the proper order. He touched the Gem of Form.

"Fort Knox," he said.

There was a blinding flash of light, and the gems were gone, hidden in relative safety.

For now.

0000000000000

**Well, hello all. I wanted to let you all know that I'm almost finished writing this story (its not near over), because after school starts, I most likely won't have time to write or even read. I will have time to post my prewritten chapters, however and answer reviews. **

**So I hope you enjoyed this chapter:)**


	13. Warm Fuzzies

Chapter 13

Warm Fuzzies

General Point of View

000000000000000000000

Vlad was pacing in his office – which was very rare for him.

It had been a close one.

The enthusiasts, turned into Dan's, could've killed Danny, and Vlad was not comfortable with how his soon-to-be apprentice could've been killed if it hadn't been for the Guys in White.

Speaking of the Guys in White, he had got a call from them from a hospital in San Diego, where they were both brutally beaten by enthusiasts.

Vlad wasn't totally heartless. If he wanted Danny as his apprentice, obviously he somehow – even if in some twisted villainous way – cared about Danny's wellbeing, which could turn out to be good for Danny.

And obviously Vlad cared about Maddie.

That's a no brainer.

Maddie had been refusing the services of Vlad's servants. Vlad was now pacing, deciding what to do.

It tortured him that 'his' Maddie was not happy. Of course, he knew – or thought – she would eventually come around, but until then, he didn't want her hating him.

He had decided to give her relatively free walk of the house, but to do that, he would have to show her who he really was.

Because she would figure it out the instant she saw all the green and gold – even Vlad wasn't stupid enough to know that it stood out.

But how could he do it without upsetting Maddie?

That was the problem. He obviously couldn't.

Or perhaps he could.

"Bring Jasmine up here," he said into the phone connected to Skulker's' suit.

"Yes, Plasmius," Skulker said.

A few minutes later, Skulker came up with a rather calm Jazz.

"What do you want, Vlad?"

"I know that you know who I really am," Vlad said in ghost form, "But what I don't know how to do is tell your mother."

"And you were hoping that I would give you a suggestion on how to do that without triggering a violent response from her. Well, I can tell you one thing – she doesn't have ghost envy. She has a severe case of ghost hatred," Jazz said.

We all know that Jazz is extremely smart. And that is why she wasn't about to tell Vlad that her mom might be slightly more open to the fact that Vlad Plasmius was Vlad Masters now that she knew a bit about halfas.

Vlad was too worried with his plan working out though to figure that out.

Just then, Vlad's desk phone rang. Vlad put it on speakerphone, forgetting that Jazz was there, as well as Skulker.

"They're coming to hand over the gems to you now. I set the Auto Jack to drop down in your dungeon loading bay," Freakshow's voice said out of the phone.

"Perfect. No complications?" Vlad asked.

"No. Other than perhaps the fact that while hacking into the Auto Jack, Technus accidentally knocked out the bracelet's audio receivers temporarily. They were out with video feed for about ten minutes before he realized that he had knocked them out. But they're back online now."

"Alright. As long as they didn't cook up a scheme in ten minutes, we should be alright. That is all," Vlad said. Freakshow hung up.

"Anyway…how should I break it to your mother?" Vlad asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Jazz asked him.

"Because if you do, I might change my mind about having a daughter around. Especially one as smart as yourself," Vlad told her.

"I could tell her myself," Jazz offered, nervously – or so she sounded to Vlad.

Jazz had already cooked up a scheme…more or less. She had filled in the blanks on what Vlad had made Maddie do – say that she and Danny would live with Vlad or Danny would be killed.

So she was going to mix things up a bit.

"You would do that for me?" Vlad asked, mock joyously.

"Yes," Jazz said.

"Then we have a deal. Your life for telling Maddie. Skulker, bring her to Maddie's room," Vlad said.

Skulker nodded, and started leading Jazz down the hall to her mother's room.

000000000000

In the dungeon, the screens came on to Vlad's ghost form's face.

"You'll all be happy to hear that your children are safely on their way here, and your release is scheduled for as soon as they get here with the Reality Gems," Vlad said, with a sneer, then the screens disappeared.

"If only I had a Fenton Bazooka, I'd blast him into the next life…again!" Jack said.

0000000000000

"You're good," Skulker told Jazz as he pushed her down the hall.

"What do you mean? I'm just exchanging my life for a favor to Vlad," Jazz said.

"No you're not. Do you think I – or any other ghost – wants Vlad getting the Reality Gauntlet in full working order? They all either want it for themselves or just don't want it to be in anyone's hands – like me. There was never any problem with Technus's hacking. I paid him to hide the feed from Freakshow, Lydia, and Plasmius. Your brother and his friends hid the gems and have fake ones that they are going to give to Vlad," Skulker told her.

"I'd thought you'd do anything for enough money," Jazz remarked thoughtfully.

"Not to get paid for paving the way to the day that I would be controlled like a puppet," Skulker answered.

"Then how will my plan work?" Jazz asked him.

"You didn't hear this from me, but this will loop the feed in the cameras. Push it right when you get into the room and your mother notices you. If Vlad happens to check the feed it will look as though your mother is staring at you in shock. Press it again when you leave, and it will simulate you turning around and leaving," Skulker said, handing Jazz a small control with a single button. He unlocked Maddie's door, and ushered Jazz in. She pressed the button.

Maddie was sitting on her bed, but jumped up when Skulker and Jazz entered.

"Ghost! Jazz! You'd better get away from my daughter, ghost!" Maddie yelled.

"Mom, calm down. He's helping us…in a way. Mom, Plasmius will kill me if you don't go along calmly to what I'm about to tell you," Jazz said calmly.

"What?" Maddie asked, getting control.

"Mom…I don't know how to say this…but Plasmius is Vlad Masters – your friend from college," Jazz said, bracing herself for the inevitable explosion.

"That's impossible!" Maddie yelled.

"He got his powers when your proto-portal exploded. He's still in love with you, mom, just think about it," Jazz said.

"I think I'm going to need a few minutes…" Maddie said. Jazz sat on the bed next to her mother.

Skulker exited the room for a bit to let the Fenton women collect their thoughts.

He turned on a communication device in his arm.

He dialed a long number and began speaking quietly.

"This had better work. I don't want to be controlled or dead again," he told the person on the other end.

"I assure you, from the way things are going now, Skulker, everything will work out the way it is supposed to be, and their will be no version 2.0, either. The possibility has already been completely erased, and he is gone forever. You have assured that already."

"You had better be the one to do the explaining next time!" Skulker told the person.

"I will. And you might want to leave. I'm going to give Jack Fenton a Fenton Bazooka when the time is right, and it isn't going to be a pretty sight," the phantom voice said.

"I think I can take care of myself. But I'll take the advice," Skulker answered.

"Are there any warm fuzzies for doing the right thing?" the voice asked Skulker.

"Only for knowing that I will be able to continue to exist and hunt the whelp in peace," Skulker said.

"Well, to each their own, as long as we want relatively the same thing," you could hear the grin in the person's voice. Skulker hung up, and returned to Maddie's room, where Jazz was just finishing up explaining what Skulker had explained to her.

"So Danny's safe right now?" Maddie asked her. Jazz nodded.

"Jazz…did you know about your brother?" Maddie asked. Jazz nodded again.

"Do you know why he didn't tell me?"

"He was afraid that you wouldn't love him anymore. He was terrified of what you and dad would do to him. Dad just a few days ago yelled that he was going to rip Danny apart molecule by molecule," Jazz said.

"I haven't been the best mother, have I?" Maddie asked.

"I think Danny will forgive you as long as you accept him for what he is," Jazz said.

"Thanks, Jazz. I needed that," Maddie said.

"Time to go," Skulker told Jazz, who nodded, and hugged her mother.

"I'll see you soon," Maddie told her mature daughter.

Skulker led Jazz back to her cell, trying to fight the small feeling of satisfaction that he felt in the first time not associated with hunting.

000000000000000


	14. The Final Destination

Chapter 14

The Final Destination

General Point of View

00000000000000000000000

As the trio came up on their final destination, none of them knew what was in store for them.

Or else Danny would've planned on bringing the Fenton Specter Deflector.

"Auto Jack, where are we?" Danny asked the red-eyed doll.

"We are coming up on our destination. And I hate fudge," the Auto Jack said.

"Man, you know when something of your dad's is being controlled when it burns fudge," Tucker said.

"You can say that again," Danny muttered as the Jet began landing in the dungeon landing bay.

They hadn't bothered looking out the window to see that they were landing near Vlad's Wisconsin mansion, or they would've, as before mentioned, taken precautions.

But the trio was too nervous.

They didn't know who Freakshow was referring to – but of course it had been Vlad speaking directly through Freakshow – when he said that it wasn't he that they should be worried about.

The Fenton Jet touched down, and Danny put the fake gems in his pockets.

Freakshow, wearing the empty Reality Gauntlet – other than the Gem of Power - was standing there with some kind of remote.

"So, Daniel, where are the gems?" Freakshow asked.

"Where are our parents, first?" Danny asked him, standing his ground.

"Fine, have it your way. Just know that you and your mother will be staying here so I have some insurance that what you are about to give me are the real gems," Freakshow said.

"You're going to let my mom go to," Danny told him.

"Or I could just kill them all now," Freakshow answered.

"You wouldn't," Sam said.

"Or would I?" Freakshow asked.

Danny nodded, and handed Freakshow the three gems from his pocket.

"Very good, Daniel. Now I will control all Reality!" Freakshow said.

"Not if I have anything to say about it. Let our parents go!" Danny said, transforming.

"I will release the Mansons and the Foleys – but your family stays for now. If you hadn't challenged me, then perhaps they would all have been released. But, your loss," Freakshow said, ignoring that Danny was in ghost form.

Danny put a powerful blast in his right hand, ready to blast Freakshow if he didn't comply.

"Release the Mansons and the Foleys," Freakshow said into a microphone in the remote.

Ten seconds later, Lydia and a few more, nondescript ghosts came out with the Foleys and the Mansons.

"Mom! Dad!" Tucker said running towards his parents.

"Sammykins!" Sam's parents yelled.

Sam ran over to them fairly reluctantly.

"Let my family go, too," Danny told Freakshow.

"You are in no position to give orders, Daniel. So stop while you are ahead," Freakshow told him.

"Fine. Take the bracelets off of Sam and Tucker," Danny told him. "And stop controlling the Auto Jack."

"I can do that," Freakshow said, touching some buttons. The bracelets popped off of Sam and Tucker's wrists.

"Sam, Tucker, take your parents home and stay away. I'll be home soon," Danny told them.

For once, Sam and Tucker didn't argue. They knew danger when they saw it, and although they were worried about Danny, and definitely wanted to help him fight, they were more worried about the fact that Danny would probably force them to go home.

The six of them boarded the Fenton Jet, which soon blasted off. Sam and Tucker waved from the cockpit. Danny waved and smiled as well.

"Well, Freakshow. You have your Reality Gems. And now I'm going to take them back," Danny said.

"You are, are you?" Freakshow asked, amused. "Do you realize what the bracelet you are wearing is?"

"A tracking device."

"With a few modifications," Freakshow said. And before Danny could throw a blast at Freakshow, Freakshow pressed a red button on the control he was holding.

Danny felt the familiar sensation of being electrocuted as the bracelet short-circuited his powers for the next three hours – for the second time that day.

He fell to the ground as he reverted back to normal, reduced to throwing Freakshow looks of pure loathing.

Freakshow pressed another button and Danny passed out.

Freakshow grinned, and motioned for Lydia to take Danny to the dungeon.

Jazz had been moved to a room next to her mother's room, and Jack had been moved to another part of the Dungeon, so they would not be able to see each other or plot.

Lydia threw Danny in a ghost proof cell – specially modified to make Danny cold, wet, and miserable – and locked the door, returning to see what would happen once Freakshow deposited the gems into the Reality Gauntlet.

00000000000

Freakshow showed Vlad the Reality Gems.

"Good work, Freakshow. And he is now in the cell?" Vlad asked him.

"Yes."

"Good. Make sure he has no idea that he is in my mansion. We can use that to our advantage later. Now, insert the gems and activate the Gauntlet," Vlad told him.

Skulker and Lydia floated into the room. Both secretly were hoping that the gems did not work.

Freakshow did as he was told, and put the gems in their proper places.

But something was wrong.

"There's something wrong!" Vlad yelled, stating the obvious. "They should glow faintly when put back into the Reality Gauntlet. They did last time!"

"The whelp gave us fake gems!" Skulker remarked angrily.

"Now I'll never control Reality!" Freakshow whined. "Er…you'll never control Reality! If he has fake gems, then he must know where the real ones are."

"And we are going to make him tell us where they are…" Vlad said with a grin, as though he was hoping something like this would happen.

"How?" Freakshow asked.

"I'll control you into doing it. Don't worry about the details," Vlad said with a grin. Freakshow and Lydia left the room.

"Good work, Skulker," Vlad told Skulker, who looked as surprised as he could for being made out of metal.

"You think I did the right thing?" Skulker asked.

"You are a genius, and you don't give yourself credit. Daniel will now join me by choice. It is all too perfect," Vlad said.

"What about the Reality Gems? I know what you're thinking, but I thought you wanted the Reality Gauntlet, too."

"But I wanted Maddie and Daniel first and foremost," Vlad said. "I will still eventually get those gems…just not now."

"So what are you going to do?" Skulker asked him, though he already had his suspicions.

"You'll see," Vlad said with an evil grin.

0000000000000

Downstairs in the dungeon, Danny was just beginning to wake up.

He stood up and looked around the cell. It was straight out of a thriller. Dripping pipes, stone floor, and it was really cold.

Danny tried to go ghost, to no avail.

He had a hunch from the faintly glowing bars that the cell was not just human proof, but ghost proof as well. Not that it mattered much.

"Well, Fenton, you've gotten yourself into a mess," Danny said aloud, sitting down.

"Yes you have, Daniel," a voice said from the door to the dungeon.

000000000000

**Short. I know. Sorry!**


	15. Deceit

Chapter 15

Deceit

General Point of View

00000000000000000000

As Freakshow walked into the dungeon area, Danny knew he was in trouble.

"Freakshow," Danny said, standing up. He hadn't expected that Freakshow would figure it out so soon.

"Daniel, you've been scheming behind my back, have you not?" Freakshow asked him.

Danny tried to think of some excuse. Instead, he went with the ever popular

"Duh."

"You obviously don't want me controlling Reality," Freakshow said.

"What part of 'duh' don't you understand?" Danny asked Freakshow.

"But you don't seem to want your family to continue living, either," Freakshow remarked, looking at the faux gems in the Reality Gauntlet.

"You said that you would let them go after I gave you the Reality Gems," Danny told him angrily, not about to negotiate.

"But you didn't give me the real Reality Gems," Freakshow said.

"But they sure look like them!"

"I will give you that. You fooled me, and I don't like to be fooled," Freakshow said.

"Yeah, you're too much of a control freak for that," Danny remarked.

"But," Freakshow continued, ignoring Danny's statements, "I will give you a choice."

"Yippee. Like give you paper or plastic fake Reality Gems?" Danny asked.

"No. More along the lines of this. Either you A, tell me where the real Reality Gems are, and I send Lydia to retrieve them, or B, I turn you and your family over to your archenemy, who you must join," Freakshow said.

"You wouldn't do that!" Danny said angrily.

"Oh, I assure you Daniel, I would. The choice is fairly apparent. After you choose the apparent choice, I will send Lydia after the gems," Freakshow said.

"No," Danny said.

"No?"

"I'd rather join Vlad than have you control Reality. I'll outsmart him eventually," Danny said.

"Well, what do you know. I honestly thought you would rather me control Reality," Freakshow said thoughtfully. "But, have it your way. I will get the Reality Gems, one way or another."

0000000000000000000000

Maddie's Point of View

0000000000000000000000

The screen came to life in my room, showing my baby boy standing up in a cell, looking angrily at who I had been told was Freakshow.

Jazz had told me how they had given Freakshow and Vlad fake gems, trying to buy some time, but Freakshow wouldn't let any Fentons go.

And Danny still didn't know that Vlad was behind all of this.

"Freakshow," Danny said.

"Daniel, you've been scheming behind my back, have you not?" Freakshow asked him.

"Duh."

"You obviously don't want me controlling Reality," Freakshow said.

"What part of 'duh' don't you understand?" Danny asked Freakshow.

I can't believe that he's so defiant and doesn't seem the least bit intimidated. I was so proud of him – then again Freakshow was only human, and Danny didn't know that his archenemy was lying in wait for him upstairs.

"But you don't seem to want your family to continue living, either," Freakshow remarked, looking at the fake gems in the Reality Gauntlet.

"You said that you would let them go after I gave you the Reality Gems," Danny told him angrily. He still was defiant.

"But you didn't give me the real Reality Gems," Freakshow said.

"But they sure look like them!"

"I will give you that. You fooled me, and I don't like to be fooled," Freakshow said.

"Yeah, you're too much of a control freak for that," Danny said, trying to insult him. .

"But, I will give you a choice."

"Yippee. Like give you paper or plastic fake Reality Gems?" Danny asked. More witty banter. My son really was a superhero.

"No. More along the lines of this. Either you A, tell me where the real Reality Gems are, and I send Lydia to retrieve them, or B, I turn you and your family over to your arch enemy, who you must join," Freakshow said.

I felt my mouth drop open. I couldn't believe that Vlad would sink so low – and yet again, I could. Danny was his archenemy, and according to Jazz, Vlad wanted Danny as an apprentice enough to attempt to clone him.

But obviously he had realized that the original was the one and only Daniel James Fenton.

"You wouldn't do that!" Danny said angrily. He didn't know…and Vlad's plan was about to work.

I knew it.

"Oh, I assure you Daniel, I would. The choice is fairly apparent. After you choose the apparent choice, I will send Lydia after the gems," Freakshow said.

"No," Danny said. Danny knew that Vlad wouldn't hurt me, or Jazz. And I bet he knew that he could protect Jack.

He had fallen into the lion's den. Not that he wasn't there already – but now at least the sun had come up and he knew that he _was_ in the lion's den.

"No?"

"I'd rather join Vlad than have you control Reality. I'll outsmart him eventually," Danny said.

I had been right.

And unfortunately, Vlad had been as well.

"Well, what do you know. I honestly thought you would rather me control Reality," Freakshow said thoughtfully. "But, have it your way. I will get the Reality Gems, one way or another."

Freakshow pressed a button and I noticed a metal bracelet strapped to Danny's wrist glow with energy, and it caused him to collapse to the floor unconscious.

He would never know that Vlad was controlling Freakshow through the Reality Gauntlet. But he would soon find out.

000000000000

General Point of View

000000000000

Vlad smiled in his office where he had been controlling Freakshow and watching Daniel's reactions.

"Check," he said happily to himself, in a rather evil way.

Freakshow entered the room, carrying Danny using the fireman hold.

"Where should I put him, Plasmius?" Freakshow asked Vlad.

"I'll direct you to a room, don't burden yourself with knowing where it is," Vlad grinned evilly, making fun of the fact that he controlled Freakshow.

Freakshow took Danny to a room a few rooms from Jazz and Maddie's rooms.

It had off white walls. It was a suite, with its own bathroom, king sized bed, and the familiar plasma screen television.

Vlad had specially had this room modified for Danny, too.

Instead of just locking Danny in a ghost proof room that he would eventually be able to blast himself out of, Vlad had simply modified the ceiling, floors, and walls of the suite to make it one big, ghost proof suite that doubled as a huge SEN – or Spectral Energy Neutralizer.

And as usual, the room had been developed by Skulker, and paid for by Vlad.

Several minutes later, Danny woke up, lying on the king sized bed in the suite.

Of course, he had no idea that he hadn't been unconscious for long – nor did he have any idea that he hadn't even left the building he was being held in before.

"Glad you came around, son," Vlad told him smiling smugly at the door.

0000000000000000

**So I start high school tomorrow. Great.**

**(grins) and I lost a LOT of people with the Warm Fuzzies...they won't last. **

**For those of you who are having déjà vu from some aspects of this chapter and my other stores (cowers in corner) don't hurt me or throw rotten veggies! I'm sorry! I had writers' block! And I like the big Spectral Energy Neutralizer rooms! They're convenient! And I promise that Clark won't just pop out of nowhere…this is strictly this story…(wait…that didn't make sense! Oh well…you know what I mean!).**


	16. Grounded and in Trouble

Chapter 16

Grounded and in Trouble

Sam's Point of View

000000000000000000000

On our way back to Amity Park from Vlad's mansion in Wisconsin, we had had a lot of explaining to do to our parents.

Mine didn't like the fact that I had been fighting ghosts – instead of just paying someone to fight for her. It was General Manson 101 – which I had never bought into, neither had my grandmother.

Tucker's parents were just as worried as mine were.

"What were you kids thinking?" Mrs. Foley asked us.

"That we were saving the town and possibly the world on a weekly basis?" Tucker and I said in unison.

"Well, I know we're all very proud of you for that…but what if you would've gotten hurt?" my mom asked.

"It would've been our own faults for not being quick enough," I told her. "And Danny doesn't force us to fight, if that's what you're thinking," I added. "I'm the reason he's a half ghost in the first place."

"Why how is that, Sammykins?" my dad asked me.

"She's the one who suggested that Danny check out the Fenton Portal in the first place," Tucker answered for me.

"And that is what made him half ghost?" Mr. Foley asked. Tucker and I both nodded.

"He somehow hit the power switch when he was inside, and it rearranged his molecules, rendering him half ghost," I said.

"I can't believe we're having this conversation with our _parents_," Tucker muttered.

"Me either," I admitted in the same tone.

"So basically, our children have been helping their best friends – who just happens to be a superhero – fight ghosts," my mom said thoughtfully.

"Pretty much," Tucker said.

"You are so grounded!" our parents yelled as one.

"Why?" Tucker asked.

"For not telling us! If you tell us next time that you're fighting ghosts – we might only yell at you and not ground you," Mrs. Foley said.

"Same with us, Sammykins," my mom told me. "And you're going to be wearing pink as part of your punishment," I groaned.

"And of course no technology for you, young man," Mr. Foley told Tucker, who burst into tears.

"Why? We were saving the world! Why?" Tucker sobbed dramatically.

"Because we are you parents and must teach you to be more careful!" Mrs. Foley said.

"Pink is cruel and unusual punishment," I muttered menacingly.

"You are grounded as soon as this jet lands," our parents said in unison as the Auto Jack came back to life to say something for the first time in a while.

"Fasten your seat belts – we're arriving at Fudge – I mean Fenton Works!"

The jet landed and so there began the cruel and unusual punishment.

000000000000000

Danny's Point of View

000000000000000

I realized how much a mess I'd gotten myself into when I saw Vlad's triumphant face.

"I didn't come around, _Plasmius_," I said his name as though it were poison, "I just would rather join you than have Freakshow control Reality," I told him.

I wanted to wipe the stupid smug smile off of his face.

I tried to go ghost – I was about halfway there when I stopped.

"Daniel, you cannot change into your ghost form when in a Spectral Energy Neutralizer," Vlad chided.

"I thought that Spectral Energy Neutralizers were limited to small boxes," I remarked.

"Not anymore – and definitely not with Skulker around. Anyway, you will begin your training with me – once you tell me where you hid the Reality Gems," Vlad told me.

"How did you know that I hid them – and how do you even know about them?" I asked him.

"Daniel. Do you honestly think that I would allow a psychotic, ghost envious human to control all of Reality? And as you well know, news travels fast in the Ghost Zone. I am controlling Freakshow using the Gauntlet," Vlad told me.

"So this was all - ?"

"To get you and your mother, yes. It did work rather perfectly, did it not? But being able to control Reality will be an added bonus for me having the perfect family," Vlad said smugly.

"Then the whole thing Freakshow had me choose…it didn't matter? Those dungeons were in your mansion, weren't they?"

"Very good, Daniel, though perhaps a tad bit late in figuring out my evil scheme," Vlad told me, ever smug.

"Then where do the Guys in White fit into this?"

"I bribed them – and gave them a faux act on bribing government officials to read."

"And what are you going to do once Freakshow controls all of Reality?"

"I will control him controlling all of Reality," Vlad answered.

"But if he controlled all Reality, wouldn't he be able to stop you controlling him controlling Reality?"

"No. I control everything but his mind when I want to. He will not become rouge," Vlad told me.

"Let me see my family," I told him, continuing my stalling spree.

"Well, Daniel, here's the thing. As my new apprentice, I certainly prefer you a half ghost than either a full ghost or dead. It suits my purposes better. Your parents are fairly angry that their son is a half ghost. I don't want you getting hurt, Daniel. Weapons or no weapons, I still consider your parents – well, Maddie, a considerable threat."

"They're mad at me?"

I mean, I knew I couldn't trust him…but I knew that my parents would want to tear me apart molecule by molecule.

"I believe that your mother and father said something about tearing you apart molecule by molecule – but not before performing hundreds of rather painful experiments on you. Face it, Daniel. You are a ghost, and your parents hate ghosts. Therefore, they hate you."

"You're the one who was controlling Freakshow when he revealed me!" I exclaimed.

"Yes…I had a feeling that your parents would react in the way they have – effectively leaving you parentless – or at least without parents who have not shunned you and will not claim you. Daniel, we are freaks, if you will. Your parents just aren't open enough to except us. I will bring your mother around so she won't harm you – but I think your father would simply be better off dead."

"That's the thing, isn't it. This is just so convenient for you. You've always wanted to marry my mom and have me as your son – heck, you've even unsuccessfully cloned me – and kill my dad."

"True. But I have found that there is no substitute, cloned or otherwise, for you and your mother. We'll be a perfectly happy, Reality controlling family."

"What about Jazz?"

"Oh, we cannot forget about Jasmine. She will be part of our new family, too."

"Where are they now?"

"They are here, a matter of a few thousand feet from you, in fact."

"I want to see Jazz, at least," I told him.

"Not until you tell me where the Reality Gems are," Vlad said.

"I don't know. And I wouldn't tell you if I did."

"Oh Daniel. I know you know. And it might be rather painful for you if you continue this charade."

00000000000000

**Hey guys! I"m alive! I didn't even get beat up - only shoved out of my lunch seat and ate some really bad chicken (it wasn't glowing though...)**


	17. Confessions, Worries, and Plans

Chapter 17

Confessions, Worries, and Plans

Jazz's Point of View

000000000000000000

Mom still couldn't believe that her old college buddy was a half ghost – not to mention that her son was.

Mom had told me how Vlad had manipulated Danny into joining him – only for him to still want the location of the gems.

I hated that rat.

I was sitting in mom's room now. Vlad allowed us to see each other once a day.

"Jazz, what are we going to do?" my mom asked me.

Great. Now my mother was asking _me_ for advice. I may be psychologically an adult, but I was still a teenager.

"Mom, unless we can talk to Danny – which Vlad isn't about to let us do – you've got to act as though you like Vlad. Maybe he'll forget about the Reality Gauntlet. It's our best shot at getting out of this."

"I was afraid of that," mom told me. "I've done it before – and I don't enjoy it – but if it will save our family and possibly all Reality – I'll do my dandiest."

"Thanks, mom," I told her, hugging her.

"And I think I'll be able to find out more on the powers Vlad has," she muttered. I nodded.

"Think positive!" I told her in my best psychologist voice.

"You're not my shrink, Jazz. Actually…now that I think about it, I should be the one shrinking you…funny, how reversed our family is," she remarked.

"Nothing wrong with that. At least things don't get boring," I admitted.

"You definitely have that right, sweetie."

00000000000000

General Point of View

00000000000000

Meanwhile in San Diego, the police had decided to finally give the Guys in White their phone call each.

They had been arrested for assault of a hero – a law that automatically comes into effect in San Diego whenever a Comic Convention is there.

"I will call Vlad – you should call him as well. We don't exactly work for the government anymore," Guy in White One told Guy in White Two.

"I agree. I will be affixing blame on you, however," Guy in White Two answered.

"Not if I affix it on you first!" Guy in White One answered.

For the most part, their ghost hunting weapons had been confiscated. They were saving their exploding shoes until they knew they were on their last resort.

Too bad they hadn't used them, or they would've just been caught again, this time with out any way to escape.

"You get one phone call," a policeman told Guy in White One, leading him towards the phone, whilst eating a donut.

Guy in White One began dialing as soon as he reached the phone.

Vlad picked up.

"Vlad," he said.

"I'm sorry, do I know you?" he asked.

"You only hired us to follow the ghost kid," Guy in White One said angrily.

"I'm sorry. This isn't who you are looking for," Vlad said, his voice smug. He hung up.

The Guys in White had been double-crossed.

So when Guy in White One was returned to his cell, he told Guy in White Two this.

"We've been double crossed. Call the Feds. Tell them we have some interesting information on a billionaire, and that we're willing to talk," Guy in White One told Guy in White Two, who nodded.

"Fiend. He broke the bribing act," he said.

"I'm starting to think that there never was a bribing act," Guy in White One answered.

"Affirmative," Guy in White Two answered as the policeman motioned to him with a new donut to follow him for a phone call.

Guy in White Two dialed his boss – head of the Federal Ectoplasmic Beings Management Program.

"Yes?" he asked.

"This is one of your elite Guys in White," Guy in White Two said.

"Which one?" the Federal employee asked.

"Two."

"Two! How yah doing?"

"The both of us have some crippling information of the paranormal variety on the billionaire Vlad Masters – who recently bribed us under what he gave us to read that he called the Bribing Act – and we have been working for. We are both in the San Diego jail, and Masters has abandoned us. So we are ready to talk," he said.

"Sounds intriguing. Believe it or not, it sounds worth working overtime for – after five. I will be there as soon as I can," their director said.

"Good," Guy in White Two hung up.

Soon after Guy in White Two had been taken back to his cell and explained the situation to his partner, they were moved to another cell in wait for the director who was waiting for them inside with a tape recorder.

"What are you going to tell us, gentleman?" he asked them.

"Everything," they answered in unison.

"Good. So…what have you to say?"

"You know Danny Fenton – AKA Danny Phantom?" Guy in White One said.

"Yes," the director answered.

"We have come to the conclusion that he is half ghost," Guy in White Two said.

The director nodded.

"That would definitely explain some things. How does this tie into Masters?"

"When Masters was in college, he was lab partners with a Jack Fenton and his future wife, Maddie. They developed a prototype of the portal that gave Daniel Fenton his powers. This prototype exploded, and Masters was exposed to ecto-energy – enough to make him half ghost as well," Guy in White One cleared up.

"Why did we not know this before?" the director asked, outraged at himself.

"Masters used his powers secretly to get rich. Danny Fenton has tried to stop him from ruling the world several times. But Masters – AKA Plasmius – has kidnapped as you well know the Mansons, Foleys, and Fentons. He dangled their parents in front of them, and Daniel Fenton, Samantha Manson, and Tucker Foley went after the Reality Gems that they had hid from Freakshow – who was and is under the control of Masters," Guy in White Two said.

"The Mansons and Foleys have been released since. But the Fentons are still in their captivity. What would Masters want with the Fentons?"

"He wants Maddie Fenton as his wife and Daniel Fenton as his apprentice. Obviously both are reluctant to take on these roles. It would appear that Daniel Fenton isn't the one we should be worried about – Masters had us tailing him, making sure he was not killed as he searched for the Gems – and he is in what we can only call a heroic state of mind. He wouldn't hurt a fly…a human fly, that is," Guy in White One said.

"But Masters on the other hand?"

"Will kill Jack Fenton once he gets the chance. He will kill in fact just about anyone if they are of no use to him. He abandoned us after all," Guy in White Two said.

"So the question is, how are we going to rescue them? And someone needs to go to jail if not you two," the director said.

"We would suggest sending Masters to jail. For fraud, money laundering, robbery, kidnap, and soon to be attempted murder. To a nice ghost proof cell," The Guys in White said the fairly long set of sentences strangely in unison.

"I think we can arrange that," the director said.

00000000000000

Vlad's Point of View

00000000000000

I was once again pacing my study like a villain fresh out of ideas.

But that was what I was, essentially.

Daniel had downright refused to give him the location of the Reality Gems.

And I couldn't figure out how I was going to get their location.

I could torture Daniel, but I knew that that would only make things harder on myself. He would hate me more than he already does.

Then it hit me like an anvil on the head **_(AN: if only!)._**

His friends, Samantha Manson and Tucker Foley would both know where the gems were.

I knew that Samantha was extremely free spirited and strong willed – completely committed to Daniel – though perhaps neither knew that fact.

But the technology geek who had a phobia of hospitals might work.

He would give the location of the gems if tortured.

Now for some fun.

0000000000000000

**Happy weekend. Too bad I"m bogged down by homework. And a heavy backpack. lol.**


	18. Poor Tuck

Chapter 18

Poor Tuck

Tucker's Point of View

00000000000000000000

I looked around the blissful kingdom of geekdom – just calling my name.

Everything in this kingdom was indeed calling my name.

"Tucker….Tucker…Tucker!" they called. "Come buy us! We need your help!"

Unfortunately, I was only in the blissful kingdom of geekdom for cruel and unusual punishment.

My parents had carted me to my favorite store, Better Buy; to look at the open aired megalopolis of technology, technology and more technology.

My parents had gone to look at vacuum cleaners, and I had quietly broke away from their watchful eye and went to the computer section, where I walked over to one of the computers on display.

It was a new media center computer, with a two hundred gig hard drive – but only a twenty-inch plasma screen.

They had to compromise to keep the price low somewhere.

After staring at all its wonderful features, I decided to look at another, less advanced computer.

I quickly accessed the Command Prompt to see what kind of stuff was on the hard drive of this medieval monster of a computer. Heck, it didn't even come with a _flat screen_!

As usual, there was nothing juicy on this computer. There was nothing in the otherwise locked My Documents folder and there was no new media in the system folders that I could find.

Although, the new version of Doors came out soon, so they might just be biding their time to bring in all the sweet new computers that had Doors Vista on them.

But it would be my luck if I were grounded only until the second version of Doors Vista came out.

I sighed. I hated that the only time I could use a computer was at Better Buy, where the computers were mostly stripped of Internet access, and didn't even have any music or programs on them.

Being grounded reeks.

I typed the command to exit the Command Prompt when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

Busted!

They hated it when you hacked into their computers for some reason.

If I would've had my PDA with me, I could've done a lot more than just look into the command prompt.

I turned around, my hands up as though to say 'I'm innocent! I don't know the difference between the Pear operating system or Doors operating system!'.

But the man behind me wasn't an employee, or from what I knew about him.

It was Vlad. In ghost form, intangible so I was the only one who would notice him.

"You're coming with me," he told me.

I looked around automatically for Danny. None of the employees had noticed anything wrong.

I let out a bit of a squeak without meaning to when I realized that Danny was still locked away at Vlad's.

He threw one of his pink blasts at me.

Man, I don't know how Danny stands being hit by those. They hurt!

I began to black out as soon as he started throwing the second one at me. I don't remember being hit by it.

00000000000

When I woke up, I was seemingly hanging in midair in some sort of cold medieval dungeon – but with dripping pipes. I shivered.

I then realized that I was chained to the ceiling. As I looked up, I also noticed that Vlad had given me an IV of sorts.

An IV? What for?

And IV's remind me of surgeries and injuries.

Which reminds me of doctors.

Who reminds me of hospitals.

I _hate_ hospitals.

"I'd rather be in a hospital than here, though," I said out loud.

And I meant it.

I mean, me, a technology geek, best friend of missing in action super powered teen, was currently locked up by Vlad Masters – AKA Vlad Plasmius – most likely somewhere in one of his houses.

Not to mention I was hanging about a foot off of the floor.

"Tucker Foley," a disembodied voice called.

I knew that Vlad was here, invisible in ghost mode.

I could tell because the dungeon's temperature – if possible – dropped about twenty degrees.

"Show yourself, Vlad," I called.

"As you wish," Vlad said, materializing so that our eyes met squarely, about two feet away from me. I jumped, and started swinging gently back and forth from the momentum.

"Do you know why you are here?" he asked me, cutting to the chase.

I had a theory.

And this theory involved Danny.

And Gems that if I gave their location to Vlad, he would take over the world.

So no biggie, Tucker, no biggie.

"No," I ventured.

"You are here because you are going to tell me the location of something your friend Daniel hid," he told me.

"Wow! You two are bonding already? I always knew a good game of capture the flag was an awesome father son bonding experience," I told him quickly.

"No idiot boy. I am talking, as you well know, about the Reality Gems," he told me.

"Oh…are you going to use one to make an engagement ring for Mrs. Fenton?"

"No!" Vlad said. I had hit a nerve, to my satisfaction.

"Okay, dude. Cool it."

"I take it you have noticed the IV in your hand," Vlad said smugly.

Oh boy.

"Yeah, in fact. What is it?"

"Caffeine, making sure that the next time I start blasting, you won't be so quick to lose your energy and pass out," he told me.

I could already feel some serious hurt coming on.

"Dude, do your realize how many adults pray for an IV of caffeine? You could make millions – not that you don't have enough money already," I added as an afterthought.

"Amusing," he told me. "So. Are you willing to reveal the location of the Reality Gems? Or must I start with my daily ectoplasmic blast work out?"

"Haven't you already had your daily ectoplasmic work out on me?" I asked hopefully.

"That was hardly a warm up, dear boy. That was hardly a warm up," Vlad told me, cracking his knuckles and giving an evil grin that he was so good out.

"Dude, did you have to stare for hours in a mirror to perfect that evil grin?" I asked him.

"Enough with the witty banter. I get enough of the stuff from Daniel."

"Hey. It's better than the usual best friend side kick banter. Which would you prefer? Witty banter or 'Holy Water Chestnuts, Batman!'?"

"I see your point. I prefer the witty banter," Vlad told me.

"Cheesy Batman phrases it is. Hot Dog!" I said.

Vlad groaned.

I had actually stalled him longer than I had thought I would be able to.

Go me!

And let's hear it for the powers of witty banter – of the annoying variety!

"Enough. Are you going to give me the location of the gems?"

"No, dude, I'm not," I said as strongly as I could. But my voice cracked, unfortunately.

I blame puberty.

"This should be fun, then," Vlad said, giving another evil grin, coupled with more popping of the knuckles.

"Did you know that popping joints make them bigger and more prone to arthritis?"

He then threw a purple-pink blast at me.

I would have to remember to make a bad crack about the girly colors of his blasts.

But then again, that really hurt.

000000000000000

**Better Buy Best Buy (My favorite store in the universe).**

**Command Prompt If you don't know, AKA Geek language in the PC world. Long live the PC and PC geeks alike!**

**Doors and Doors Vista Windows and Windows Vista (Four months, baby, four months!)**

**Pear Apple. Die. **_**(crushes Apple computer with mallet and then uses it as boat anchor).** _


	19. Knowledge and Control

Chapter 19

Knowledge and Control

Jack's Point of View

000000000000000000

I, Jack Fenton, know many things.

I know where the fudge aisle is in our local grocery store.

I know how to make a ghost portal, with the help of my wife.

Apparently, I know how to make my son a ghost.

I know that my son is a ghost.

I know that you should never feed a dog ten pounds of chocolate fudge in a day, or they would die (I knew this from experience).

I knew that it took a mighty big dog to weigh a thousand pounds, but that's getting off-subject.

And I know that something larger than me, Jack Fenton, and my wife and family is afoot here.

I had been moved into another wing of the dungeon in another cell.

From there, I had heard a young man groan as they because conscious, and make a deal with Freakshow to hand himself over and my family to his archenemy. He would rather hand himself and us over to his archenemy than have someone – Freakshow – control all of Reality.

This young man was my one and only son – my youngest child.

The hero.

That I had always threatened unknowingly – ironically, out of fear for my family.

He had always been there, saving all of us, and now he was saving everyone – but himself and his family.

A ghost had carried him past my cell – carrying my son like a sack of potatoes.

Not long after, I heard the sound of Tucker's voice, amazingly, talking to Danny's archenemy the Wisconsin ghost – who's clutches we had been in all along.

It didn't take a genius to figure all of this out.

But when I heard Tucker say the Wisconsin ghost's name – I realized what a bumbling idiot I truly was.

I should have figured it out when I had associated Danny's ghostlyness with the mere shock – or so Maddie and I had thought – he had received from the ghost portal.

But I had never seen this coming.

Something clicked in my bumbling idiot brain. The Wisconsin Ghost's voice was that of my old chum and college buddy…

Vlad.

Vlad. My best friend. We had gone to a disastrous college reunion at his home. He had shown up just in time for the massive ghost invasion, and had most likely been around when Danny's friends contracted ecto acne.

He was Danny's archenemy – the only other person who had been in contact with a ghost portal that I knew of when it turned on.

And I'm an idiot. I'm surprised not more people have made the connections.

I heard my college buddy – Vlad – torture a kid, Danny's best friend, Tucker, trying to find out the location of the Reality Gems.

"Fort Knox," Tucker finally yelled after I had heard about twenty-five strong blasts. It was remarkable Tucker was still conscious.

"Nice doing business with you," Vlad laughed evilly. I watched as he floated past my cell.

"Vlad," I said in the most serious tone I could use. I only used it in situations such as this – usually when I didn't have time to just sit and think about the situation I was in.

Usually when I had time to sit and think, I preferred to play with my action figures, after all.

The Wisconsin Ghost – Vladdy – who I had thought was my best friend in the world – turn to look at me.

"What?" he asked loudly in disbelief. "You're an idiot! How did you figure it out? You sit around doing needlepoint for goodness sakes!" he yelled.

"I might be an idiot, but Tucker used your name. And needlepoint is artsy and relaxing, I'll have you know!" I yelled.

Vlad groaned, slapping his face.

"This simply cannot be happening. You're an idiot!"

"And yet you steal my ideas," I told him, pointing to the ghost proof cell which I had designed and had sold the plans to the government of.

"So what, you bumbling oaf. I do steal your ideas. And I'll steal much more than that. Your wife, for starters. Your son. And your life eventually when your usefulness has run out," Vlad told me, poking his face at the bars.

"Oddly, I feel strangely flattered – but you can't steal my Maddie – Danny – er…we're college buddies! Chums! How could you steal my life?" I asked him.

I was taking the technique Tucker had been using to stall Vlad…witty banter.

Only…mine was lacking on the 'witty' part.

No matter, though.

"Jack Fenton. I despise you – you stole the love of my life and have the son that should be mine to mold in the way I see fit. I have dreamed of killing you for so long – that what are a few more days. I want to control all of Reality before I kill you. And I'm going to get the gems now…so enjoy the rest of your life in this cold…lonely…dripping cell," Vlad gave another evil laugh and then disappeared right in front of my eyes.

I was in trouble.

And I needed some fudge, badly.

00000000000000

Vlad's Point of View

00000000000000

It had not taken me long to fly to Fort Knox, Kentucky.

It had taken even less time to simply phase into the building's storehouse and find all three Reality Gems, stacked in a pile.

I had flown back to my mansion, grinning ear to ear.

"Freakshow!" I yelled as soon as I phased into my office. He came running into the office, the mostly empty Reality Gauntlet on his arm.

I inserted the gems into their proper places. I then pressed a button so that the feed of this would be relayed all over the mansion.

I pressed the proper sequence that would activate all of the gems.

There was a massive burst of light, and Freakshow grinned.

"I am now the Ringmaster of all Reality!" he yelled.

I gave him a look and took out the control and started to control him controlling the gauntlet.

"Well…in a roundabout way, I am now the Ringmaster of all Reality!" Freakshow yelled.

He had always been one for theatrics.

0000000000000000

Danny's Point of View

0000000000000000

I was shocked when the plasma screen came to life and Vlad was inserting the real Reality Gems into their proper places.

How had he found them?

I hadn't told him.

And I wanted to know.

I watched as Freakshow gained control of all Reality and Vlad gained control of Freakshow who gained control of all Reality.

Man, this is confusing.

I had lost to Vlad.

And for the first time, I didn't have any idea how to get out of this one.

0000000000000000

Tucker's Point of View

0000000000000000

I was so mad at myself.

I had woken up on my couch at home, surrounded by tons of new gadgets.

But I had betrayed Danny.

And from the massive shock wave that blasted into the side of my house, I took it that Vlad now controlled all of Reality.

Danny was going to kill me – and I might even kill myself for this one.

0000000000000000

General Point of View

0000000000000000

Skulker watched as his employer in a roundabout way gained control of all Reality.

No sooner had it happened than Skulker's phone rang. He answered it.

It was the nameless person he had been speaking to before – about the possibility of a 2.0 – whatever that might be.

"Yes?" Skulker asked him.

"We may have a problem," Clockwork told Skulker.

0000000000000000000

**So...I'm gonna be out of town in five hours. For the weekend and Monday...so, see ya...REVIEW! **


	20. That Problem

Chapter 20

That Problem

General Point of View

0000000000000000000000

"What do you mean we may have a problem?" Skulker asked his other employer frantically.

Skulker was standing just outside of Vlad's office, listening to his evil laughter.

"Other than Vlad controlling all of Reality now, I mean," Skulker added.

"Well, it will happen in about ten seconds. Go into Vlad's office," Clockwork's voice told Skulker. Clockwork hung up and Skulker obeyed.

This was the scene in front of him.

The Reality Gauntlet on Freakshow was glowing brightly, and Vlad took a breath after a very lengthy evil laugh, then continued.

But Freakshow had figured something about the little arrangement he had with Vlad.

Freakshow was being controlled by a remote being controlled by Vlad.

But Freakshow controlled all of Reality.

So he simply obliterated the control and the mechanism controlling his body out of existance.

"Oh," Skulker said, forgetting that Clockwork had hung up.

"Now, ghosts, you will bow down before the real Ringmaster of Reality!" Freakshow yelled in that psychotic voice he is so very good at using.

Using the Guantlet, he manipulated the floor in Vlad's office to capture ghosts, including Vlad who was in ghost mode and Skulker.

But Freakshow was new at total control of all Reality.

Vlad changed into his human form and phased through the floor, fleeing.

"Drat it," he mumbled. "My plans are ruined!"

Vlad was a fairly smart man. He knew when he was in trouble.

"Come out, come out wherever you are, Vladdy!" Freakshow laughed maniaclly from a floor up.

Vlad's house all of a sudden disappeared around him, and he was standing in an empty field next to his ghost portal, Skulker, Danny, Jack, Maddie, and Jazz, who gazed up at a Freakshow who was the height of the Sears Tower in Chicago.

"Vlad! What is going on here?" Maddie yelled at him.

"He ruined the controls, didn't he?" Danny asked Vlad, who nodded.

0000000000000000000

Tucker's Point of View

0000000000000000000

I had totally screwed up.

But my parents had always taught me something.

You don't screw up unless you don't try to fix what you screwed up.

So I was going to try to fix things.

I pressed speed dial '2' on my phone and Sam picked up immediately.

"What is going on?" she asked me.

"Vlad beat the location of the Reality Gems out of me. Meet me in the basement of Fenton Works, now," I told her.

Five minutes later, Sam was standing next to me, looking at the Specter Speeder, and then asked me the inevitable question.

"How did he beat the location out of you? We swore!" she said.

"I know. He tied me up and blasted me with those not so girly pink rays over and over again. Sam, it felt like I was dying. I had to tell him. He was going to find out someway or another. But we're gonna fix things," I told her.

"Let's go, then. Wisconsin?"

"Yeah," I told her, grabbing a Fenton Thermos out of habit.

"Mr. Fenton was rambling about a warp drive he had added to this thing, usable when we knew where we were going in the ghost zone," Sam said.

"I already programmed the location of Vlad's portal into it," I told her, turning on the rest of the Specter Speeder. The navigation system was already on.

"We might want to buckle in," I told her, buckling myself into the seat. She did the same.

Then I pressed the obvious and idiot proof button that was green and labeled 'GO!' in Jack's handwriting.

We were both slammed back into the seats until my vision blacked out a bit.

Five dangerous minutes later, we were zooming into what should have been Vlad's lab.

But we were in an empty field that was fairly dark.

Danny, Jazz, Mr. and Mrs. Fenton and Vlad were all there, gazing up.

I then found out why it was so dark.

We were in the shadow of a freakily tall Freakshow.

000000000000000000

General Point of View

000000000000000000

Everyone looked up as the Specter Speeder zoomed into the field.

Sam and Tucker jumped out of it just as Freakshow crushed it with his foot. Tucker had only been able to save a Fenton thermos.

"Daniel, help me…please?" Vlad asked him. Danny looked at him.

"Under one condition."

"Just about anything," Vlad told him. Danny looked up at Freakshow, who couldn't hear him at the moment.

"Leave my family and friends alone. No sending ghosts to kill, injure, or kidnap us. And don't ever bother anyone again. That's all I'm asking," Danny said.

Vlad thought about it. Then Freakshow's foot came down, ready to crush them.

"I except," Vlad said, deciding that Danny's help was worth it for the moment.

Danny grabbed Sam, Tucker, and his dad and turned them intangible. Vlad grabbed Maddie and Jazz and turned them intangible.

Skulker turned intangible by himself, gaping at the fact of what Vlad had just promised.

They turned tangible again when Freakshow lifted his foot away.

"Vlad! You are the one who was controlling me – planning on killing me. So I'm going to kill you – but not before killing everyone who matters one bit to you," Freakshow said.

"Oh cheese logs," Vlad said as he, Jack, Sam, Tucker, Skulker, Jazz, and Maddie were trapped in a ghost proof and human proof (he had actually gotten this right, compared to the floor) cage.

Danny was tied to a massive human proof yo-yo, which Freakshow was yo-yoing up and down.

"This is easy without your powers," Freakshow boomed, He held the tiny remote that had now caused Danny's power to short circuit for three hours.

"Daniel!" Vlad yelled before he could stop himself.

Danny screamed like he was on the ride of his life.

He was…a bit too literally.

Under the yo-yo was a huge pit of acid, and each time Freakshow yo-yoed Danny, it was a yard closer to the pit of acid. He was about fifty yards above it at the present moment.

Make that forty-nine.

"Danny!" Jazz yelled.

"Wha-aaaaaaaaat?" Danny asked as he dropped.

"Use the art!" she yelled.

"The art?" he asked as he sprung up into the air. Freakshow of course still couldn't hear them. One, his ears were very high off the ground, and two, he was enjoying himself too much to care.

"The art of psychology! He has ghost envy!"

"Oh. Right," Danny said. When he was his closest to Freakshow's ears, he yelled in a quick sentence that Freakshow took a bit to understand

"You might be able to kill me like I was an ant – and have fun doing it – but at least I'm a half ghost – which is way cooler than controlling Reality," he called.

Freakshow heard him.

"No it isn't," Freakshow boomed.

When Danny was close to Freakshow's ears again, he yelled.

"Yes it is. You can't even walk through walls, disappear, or fly. You're not special or unique at all. Eventually, I bet controlling Reality like that will kill you – or Vlad would've used the Gauntlet himself. He's not stupid."

It took a bit longer for Freakshow to cipher this, because Danny's sentences sounded a bit like this

"Noitsnotyoucan'tevenwalkthroughwalksdisappearorflyyourenotspecialatalleventuallyibetcontrollingrealitylikethatwillkillyouorvladwouldveusedtheguanltethimselfhesnotstupid."

When Freakshow did figure out what Danny had said, Jazz's plan worked.

When Danny was about ten yards from the pit of steaming acid, Freakshow boomed.

"If you think being half ghost is so entertaining, then how about being a full ghost?"

Freakshow turned into a monster of a ghost.

Danny continued yo-yoing above the pool of death.

"Well, that was easy," Jazz said, grabbing the thermos from Tucker, and for once capturing the ghost, and not Danny.

"No!" Freakshow yelled – having to at least make a dramatic exit.

The Reality Gauntlet was now sitting on the grass.

The yo-yo and pit of acid disappeared, but Danny was about a hundred yards off the ground when he began to fall.

The cage disappeared as well.

Danny began screaming – after all – he wanted to be an astronaut – not a skydiver.

Vlad changed into his ghost form and thankfully caught Danny when he was about three yards away from the solid ground.

Vlad had made sure that Maddie had been able to see that.

Danny looked at Vlad in amazement, who didn't say anything out of embarrassment of showing that he indeed had a real human side.

Vlad set Danny on the ground, and Maddie swallowed Danny up in a huge hug.

And of course, who would arrive then but the Feds?

They had seen the whole ordeal, but just decided to move in.

"Vladimir Masters, you are under arrest for about a hundred charges that would take forever to read off," Guy in White One said. The Guys in White had been released from jail, for having given information that was going to lead to a Billionaire's arrest.

"And Daniel Fenton, you are also under arrest for about half as many charges including reckless wreckage of town property," Guy in White Two said.

Danny looked at Vlad, and dived for the Reality Gauntlet.

Danny put it on.

He sent a blast up into the air, and the Guys in White and the team they had sent looked confused.

"What is happening here?" the director asked.

"A ghost obliterated my mansion!" Vlad said.

"Take it up with your insurance company," the director told him. The squad left, not noticing that Danny was wearing the Reality Gauntlet.

"What did you do, son?" Jack asked him.

"I made it so we are the only ones who know about any of this – including that Vlad and I are half ghosts. The world isn't ready for them," Danny said wisely.

"But why?" Vlad asked him. "You saved me from a lifetime of jail!"

"One – they'd figure out halfas if they remembered about you and your crimes – and they'd still know about me or figure it out. And because you saved me back there. Oh, and here," Danny said, waving his hand.

Vlad's mansion appeared again.

Vlad then grabbed the Reality Gauntlet from Danny.

They were all in Vlad's study.

000000000000000000000


	21. Sweet Freedom

Epilogue

Sweet Freedom

**I had a tennis tournament and my Ipod is messed up. Yep, that's my excuse. **

General Point of View

0000000000000000000

"Hey!" Danny yelled.

Vlad threw the Reality Gauntlet up into the air and blasted it into dust.

"Oh," Danny said quietly.

Vlad looked at Danny and gave what one could say from Vlad was a happy smile.

Strangely, that gauntlet was destroyed _pretty_ easily, no?

"Oh cheese logs," Vlad said and frowned when he noticed the cat sitting on his desk.

"You've got to be kidding me," Vlad muttered.

"Well, I must say that I didn't have to do a thing to insure a wonderful future in this timeline," a voice said from behind them all.

"Clockwork?" Danny asked.

"Hello Danny," Clockwork said.

"Why didn't you just manipulate time?" Danny asked him.

"I was not allowed to interfere with this situation. I'm still on parole from the last time I manipulated time. I'm only allowed to watch, but not interfere with my powers," Clockwork answered.

"What powers?" Maddie asked him.

"Oh. Mom, Dad, Jazz, Vlad, this is Clockwork. Master of all time. Or will be when he's no longer on parole. Sorry about that," Danny said.

"It was worth it," Clockwork admitted.

"How is it your fault?" Maddie asked Danny.

"Ix-nay on the estions-quay," Sam muttered.

"Oh," Maddie said.

"Anyway…I will be in more trouble if I stay in the human realm any longer. Just wanted to say that I'm very happy with the outcome here," Clockwork said officially, mock plumber like almost.

Clockwork disappeared to the group. Really, he froze time just long enough to get to Vlad's portal and back to his lair.

"I must say, Daniel, the cat was overkill," Vlad said.

"I doubt it," Danny told him.

0000000000000

Several Weeks Later

0000000000000

"Son! Come here!" Jack yelled from the lab.

Danny shut his math book – thankful for even a ghost gadget prototype lecture – to get away from it.

Danny, Jazz, and their parents had pooled their knowledge of all things ghost – and now they really did run Fenton Works – because their kids helped, too.

Jack and Maddie would ask Danny his opinion of ghost detectors and similar non-military devices. He would tell them if it was brilliant, dangerous, or just plain stupid – like ectoplasmic fudge.

Vlad had kept his promise, and stayed away from the Fentons. He was currently climbing the ladder of the world's most charitable persons.

This might because _somehow_, documented evidence found its way into Danny's hands of all of Vlad's crimes…from a certain time controlling ghost.

Maddie and Jack had told Vlad that they would talk – maybe even claim to know him! – after he was number one on that list.

Not to say that he wasn't a perfectly reformed villain…just Danny and co have never heard about it…

Jack and Maddie blamed themselves almost as much as they blamed Vlad for his whole 'being evil' thing.

It was actually and truly a thing of the past…mostly. He had given away every cent of what he had stolen at the start of his career to various charities.

But Vlad hadn't kept the cat. A small major indication using an oxymoron that suggests that Vlad wasn't going to be Saint Vlad anytime soon.

He also helped Jack and Maddie get steady jobs at the government's Federal Ectoplasmic Beings Management Program – though they had quietly and anonymously tweaked all of their detectors to not key into Danny's specific ectoplasmic reading, so he did not have any chance of being discovered.

Danny's parents had also changed his curfew to 10:30 – which after that Sam, Tucker, and Danny had to be at home. Danny's parents then took over the ghost hunting. Unless they needed Danny, of course, which then they would call him on their new Fenton Cell Phones.

A feature that made a Fenton Cell Phone, a Fenton Cell Phone – and not to mention a Fenton PDA that Tucker now owned – was the 'G Button' for use during school. If Danny's ghost sense were to go off during core class hours – he was to press the button and his parents would be there within fifteen seconds. That was thanks to the new SSSS, or Super Speed Specter Speeder that incorporated a new thing called ghost technology that allowed the SSSS to be invisible.

Danny's parents had studied his powers (with his permission) and figured out how to use them in their technology. Fenton Works was now the number one supplier to the government of Ghost Technology – and Danny and his family were the next deli-toothpick-cellophane-wrapping-machine heirs. Only in ghost technology – and not heirs.

They were known all over the world – and now they really were world renowned ghost hunters. Jazz, ironically, formerly 'miss skeptic' included.

"What, dad?" Danny asked his father as he walked downstairs into the lab. He shuddered as he noticed that Jack was holding the Fenton Boo-Merang.

"Here, son!" Jack said, throwing it.

Danny hit the floor, but the Boo-Merang returned to Jack, without hitting Danny.

"No ghosts detected," the device said.

"Sweet freedom!" Danny yelled.

000000000000000

General Point of View

000000000000000

A few hundred miles to the north of Amity Park, a certain someone was retrieving a certain something from an invisible ectoplasmic box that had been floating above Vlad's mansion.

Vlad used it to keep incriminating blackmail in so that no one would ever find it but him.

"And now to check some things off my 'evil plot' to do list…" Vlad said, carrying the Reality Gauntlet into his study.

0000000000000000

**So…I don't know…**

**Would you like a sequel? **

**Or would you rather me leave it open to fill in the blanks with your own mind? **


	22. The End or Beginning

Epilogue Take Two...

The End…or Beginning

General Point of View

000000000000000000

Deep in the ghost zone, Clockwork was getting a visit from the Observants – who can only also be known as Clockwork's bosses.

"What are you two doing here?" he asked the huge-eyed creatures.

"We have been watching you," one of his bosses told him.

"Which is what you both do best," Clockwork told them.

"We have decided to revoke your parole, on account of good behavior," the other Observant told him.

"This has to do with Vlad still having the Reality Gauntlet, doesn't it?" Clockwork asked them.

"We don't want world and Ghost Zone war three," the first Observant told him.

"So is this permanent or temporary?" Clockwork asked them of his parole.

"Permanent until you do something else against our rules," the second Observant said.

"Which tends to happen every few decades," the first said.

"Fine. Give me a few minutes," Clockwork told them.

00000000000

Meanwhile in Vlad's Wisconsin mansion, Vlad was currently making himself the owner of the Packers.

He had decided to start small, so that the Reality Gauntlet wouldn't hurt him too bad.

There was a huge party at Vlad's, and even the towel boy from the team was there.

Everyone was talking, laughing, stealing Vlad's food, and worshiping the ground he walked on.

Clockwork did what he did best.

He froze time and snatched the Reality Gauntlet off Vlad's arm. He then went back to his layer, returning time to its normal flow.

"Oh chocolate fudge," Vlad muttered, realizing that Clockwork was back to messing around with time.

Clockwork smiled.

The Observants both nodded, and left, satisfied that Clockwork would from now on follow the rules.

Or not.

Clockwork placed the Gauntlet outside of time in a Fenton Thermos.

The same Fenton Thermos where Dan was trapped.

"So…good thing we revoked his parole, right?" Observant one asked his counterpart, because both knew what had happened.

"This is crucial, I must admit. And he will make sure that nothing gets _way_ out of hand."

00000000000

Inside The Thermos

00000000000

"Ow!" Dan yelled as the Gauntlet slammed into his head.

"What is this?" he mused, ceasing his never ending struggling to get out of the thermos.

He put on the Gauntlet, and touched the gems, wondering what they were.

The gems began to glow.

And Dan began to laugh.

000000000000

**So how's _that_ for setting up a sequel?**

**Thanks to WTFWonder for giving me the idea. **


End file.
